Befriending the Enemy
by DemonsArePersonal
Summary: WOOHP is under pressure. The Brain,the evil mastermind, has escaped and teamed up with the LAMOS to destroy WOOHP and the world using Tim Scam   who no longer works with them 's old weapon. Only Scam can stop him, that is, if he can be persuaded too.
1. In the warehouse

Hi, everyone! This is my first story so I hope you like it! I'd really appreciate a review (even if it is one word) telling me to go on with the story.

**Disclaimer: Totally Spies belongs to Marathon Inc.**

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4 p.m. WOOHP Headquarters, Jerry's Office

"Listen, girls, I hope you understand the utmost importance of this mission. You must be sure to bring Tim Scam back to WOOHP safely. As you know, his cooperation is key to the mission," Jerry said with scrunched eyebrows. The old man's age was obvious in the wrinkles that formed around his eyes and pursed lips.

"We understand, Jerry," Sam said. And with that they were off to find Scam.

11:30 p.m. Outside warehouse, near Los Angeles.

The rainstorm was heavy and didn't bode well for what was up ahead. In front of the three stood the tall warehouse where Scam had been located to. "You know," Clover began, "If I remember correctly this is the same place we once caught Scam a while ago. Didn't this used to be a wig warehouse or something?" Clover was restless. They all were. The rain didn't seem to be subsiding and a course of action was very hard to think of with all the noise and distraction the downpour provided. "_Abandoned _wig warehouse, Clover, but now it's an abandoned pillow factory" Sam said as Alex rubbed her arms for heat in the cold weather. "Sammie, if it went from a wig warehouse to one full of pillows then it wasn't abandoned to begin with," Clover said in retort at which Alex laughed quietly. "Good point, Clover." Sam has just been outwitted in the most stupid thing she could think of, how the mighty had fallen.

The three spies walked inside the warehouse as quietly as they could. The rainstorm outside had drenched them from head to toe and their spy suits clung to their forms tightly making it difficult to be stealthy-this was going to make their pursuit of Scam much harder than it already was.

"I can't wait to get this over with," Clover whispered to the two other girls, "I have a paper on cell reproduction due tomorrow afternoon."

"Clover, quiet, we _have_ to have the upper hand here or we may not be able to catch him off guard. I'll help you with your paper tomorrow," Sam said with a chastising look. "Sammie, shhhh!" Alex paused for a second. "Wait….. I think I just heard something…. I think Scam's somewhere within hearing distance." Quickly, the spies moved to conceal themselves.

The warehouse was dark and dusty. There were crates all around placed so perfectly that it almost made the place seem like a setup for a game of laser quest. There were no lights or windows except the one on the roof that let the moon in. An eerie glow of the moonlight inside the place made Sam's stomach churn. This wasn't going to e easy, she thought. There was so much at stake here and to sedate Scam without hurting him and avoiding his attacks was going to be a difficult task.

Behind the concealment of cleverly grouped together crates, Sam, Clover, and Alex huddled together to think of their next course of action. "I think we should split up. That way we can cover more ground faster and if one of use finds him or he finds us, the other two can come to the rescue while still having the upper hand," Alex whispered intently trying to make her argument more feasible by talking with hand motions. Sam shifted slightly, unsure about the plan. "I'm not so sure about this… if he catches one of us then he's bound to know that the other two are here. What if he uses one of us as hostage?" Sam said in a calm but a matter-of-factly tone. "Sam, I think we should try go with Alex's plan this time, because let's face it, we don't always do well with the whole 'storming him all at once' thing," Clover replied.

"Ok, let's do it." Sam said wryly while trying to force a smile. She didn't want to put Alex down or waste time trying to think of something new. They needed to get Scam as soon as possible.

Sam took charge, as somewhat the unspoken leader of the group and began to explain instructions. "I'll go upstairs to the second floor and look for him there. You two stay down here. If anyone finds him make some noise so we know where you are. If there's any trouble call for help." Soon, Clover began to move deeper into the warehouse while Alex took left, sticking to the walls. This left Sam all alone in the corner near the door where they were hiding only moments ago. How was she going to get to the second floor while avoiding to been seen on the stairs or making any noise? "_Ok, Sam, calm down. No need to be nervous, you've caught Tim Scam plenty of times already, what's the difference now? Oh, yeah, the world's at stake and you have to be gentle with him! God! Ok, start moving your legs, NOW!" _Sam quickly shook out her nerves and decided to stick to the right side of the warehouse and use her belt to get to the second floor.

Everything was quiet; the other two probably had no luck finding Scam as of yet. The warehouse was huge, but it had already been 20 minutes and nothing was to be heard. Scam had to be on the second floor, why else hadn't they seen or heard him yet? Sam quickly reached the staircase and used her belt to catch hold of the railing. The second floor of the warehouse wasn't an entire floor, more like a huge balcony that went along the south side of the building but extended further in. "_Good," _Sam thought, "_This way, if I find him, Clover and Alex can hear me."_ With a quick press of the heart belt around her stomach, Sam launched up to the second floor and landed with a flip on the ground; too bad she made some noise while doing that graceful performance. She ran to the nearest crate and hid behind it. Nervousness built up within her, a kind that she had never felt before; not over a boy, test marks, Alex behind the wheel, or anything. Sam reached for the tiny little spray bottle in the pocket of her spy suit that Jerry had given to each of the girls. The bottle contained an extremely potent mixture strong enough to sedate a jungle tiger with one spray (it had been tested), and even though Scam was no tiger, he was defiantly as ferocious as one. The spray wouldn't harm him (it didn't the tiger either), but it would sedate him long enough to get him to WOOHP and under cuffs.

As Sam turned the bottle over in her left hand, keeping a lookout for Scam, she unconsciously began to move it around her fingers. Having touched her wet pockets, the bottle and her hand had water on them. When she turned the bottle over once again "CRASH!" It fell to the floor and spilled everywhere, making a big enough sound to be heard by the enemy. What was she going to do now?

"Crap!" Sam whispered to herself. "_What if he heard? Then he'll know I'm here and everything will be ruin—_

Footsteps. Footsteps moved closer to where Sam was hiding. This was bad; Sam was almost backed up against the wall as the villain was closing in. She moved carefully behind other crates. And then…"thud," now she really was backed up against the left wall.

"Samantha," an all too familiar voice said with amusement plainly evident in the tone. He moved closer and now face to face with the redhead he smirked his usually half smile. His piercing sea foam eyes caught with her green ones and the malice in them was so nostalgic to Sam's memory. "How nice of you to pay me a visit."

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**Author's Note: So I kept this relatively short so I could put it up as soon as possible. If I find out that people want to know more than subsequent chapters will be longer and more detailed (hopefully). I have the entire (ok, not entire, but another chapter full) of story planned already, I just have to write it :) So PLEASE review, it would be encouraging.**

**Yours Truly,**

**DemonsArePersonal**


	2. The fight

Hey, guys, DemonsArePersonal here with a new chapter! Yay! (: I had so much fun writing this and the good stuff is to come for sure! Thanks for all the sweetness which i will mention at the end of the page, but for that you have to read the chapter first (you could scroll down too, but i don't suggest it). Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: Totally Spies belongs to Marathon Inc.**

Chapter 2: The fight

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"I assume your little spy friends are with you too? Where are Clover and Alex?" he asked menacingly with a calm composure that made Scam different than other villains. Unlike all others villains who had clear-cut motives and weird obsessions that drove their evil crimes, or suffered some sort of trauma in their childhood for which they seeked revenge, Tim Scam was seemingly normal. He came across as sane (although a sociopath) and really just liked to kill for the sake of killing, that and he wanted WOOHP destroyed.

"They're not here, I came alone," Sam lied with a straight face but the anxiety she felt at this point seemed to seep out. She remembered to reply to Scam loudly so Clover and Alex would here and come to her rescue. But what if they didn't? Sam wasn't prepared for the eventual fight. She had dropped the sedative on the floor and there was no way to take him down easily, that is, if she could take him down alone. "_Ugh, Clover!" _Sam thought to herself "_At least when we storm him it's three against one! How am I suppose to handle him all alone?" _she said pleading with the mind as if her subconscious mind would conjure up a plan her conscious mind hadn't thought of yet. "I'm here, t-to bring you back to WOOHP," she stuttered. Sam mentally chastised herself for sounding so weak because now Scam knew all too well how weak she really was.

"Please, _Sammie," _he said emphasizing the loathing he had for her and his all-knowingness he'd gathered from her stutter. "I know they're here, you never come alone. God, you're pathetic. Don't you think before you speak? If only you'd come off stronger, then maybe, just maybe, I wouldn't feel so much piety for you when I finish you off for good!" Scam was loud, and Clover and Alex could definitely hear him now. They ran to the second floor in complete disregard for the sneak-attack plan; their friend was in trouble and they were going to help her, screw being stealthy!

At Scam's words, Sam felt her courage rising. She might have been scared because of the delicacy of the situation, but receiving piety from Scam, being called pathetic by him, _him, _no, that was not going to keep her down. Now, she wasn't going to be careful. If he was brought back in crutches then that was just the way it had to be. "I don't need your piety, and believe me; you're not getting any either!" She screamed with all the strength she had in her voice, but at her words Scam laughed.

"Very cute, Sam, great speech, but is that all you have? Or should I just put you out of your misery now!" As he said the last three words he ran towards her with incredible speed.

Sam's instinct was to duck but there wasn't enough time or room. She quickly had her hands up in a defense stance and when Scam came at her she grabbed hold of his arms as his hands wrapped around her neck in a death grip. His hands were around her neck tight and all Sam could do was try to get them loose so she could breath. Scam's expression was maniacal and his calm composure was gone now. His eyes were scrunched but from what Sam could see there was nothing but hate in them. But she couldn't think much of that now; she had to do something soon before she fainted from lack of air. Sam brought her knee up, the one that was shrouded under Scam's large frame, took her hands away from Scam's hands and brought them to either side of his shoulders. She gripped his shoulders tightly, a move that made Scam shift slightly as he strangled her, and with all her might-because this could be the thing to set her free, she kneed him hard in the stomach. This proved to an effective move. Scam jolted back in pain and Sam fell to the floor, breathing in heavily.

"You little…" Scam said quietly as he reached for something on a nearby crate (sharp and glass, from what Sam to gather from her blurred vision) and he came at her once again, straightening up quickly from the blow he'd just suffered. Sam, on the other hand, wasn't doing as well. The stranglehold in had her in was too much for her to handle. She still had trouble breathing and she hadn't stopped panting yet. She slipped into and out of consciousness and could wrap her head around the intense situation she was in at this point. "_Oh no, I-I have to get up or else-else he'll … he'll… kill me," _she thought while trying to make her legs move, but they wouldn't.

Scam was a bit slower than before. As he brought the object up to hit Sam on the head with it (in her semi conscious state she was very vulnerable and still hadn't moved to protect herself) someone grabbed his hand. "No way, pal!" Alex screamed as she grabbed his hand and pulled him back, pushing him to the floor with a thud. "Sammie!" Clover yelled loudly as she ran towards her friend, practically knocking her to the ground. "Sam, Sam! Are you alright? Sam, say something!" Sam opened her eyes enough to see Clover who wore a look of complete horror, in her head she thought Sam was a total goner for sure the way she kept opening and closing her eyes and barely moving! "Clover, chill," Sam said quietly with a small forceful smile, "I'm fine, just a little….out of breath…" Clover quickly lifted Sam's head and laid it on her leg, trying to get her to go back to normal by shaking her shoulders. From across the place, not too far away, Sam saw Alex and Scam going all out and throwing fists and kicks like they were made of metal. Alex was amazing, probably the most athletic of them all, and she held her own against Scam. But after a while, she became less resilient in her attacks and Scam was getting the better of her. When Alex dodged the blow he dealt in her direction, he grabbed he arm and gave back the push she'd given him earlier.

"Alex!" Sam screamed, and Clover took her eyes off the redhead on her leg and saw Alex on the floor. She quickly ran up to Alex (which left Sam's head to hit the floor) and gave Scam a look of utter hatred. "You are so gonna wish you hadn't done that, Scam!" In her crouching position Clover swung her foot and knocked Scam to the ground as he was just about to jump at her. This time when he fell to the ground he didn't get up. Hesitantly, Clover came round to his side and seeing that he lay, unconscious probably as she thought, on the floor, she reached for the little bottle in her pocket. In the instance that she took her eyes from his lying form, Scam shot up and grabbed her tightly from behind. Clover's hand let go of the tiny bottle and it rolled over to where Alex was lying, trying to regain her strength. Scam got up; dragging the blonde he despised so much, and pushed her into a nearby cluster of crates. Clover hit the crates on her left side with a loud bang and fell to the ground. Where her body had made contact with the wood she scraped her spy suit, and bruised her arm.

Alex got up slowly and was lifted by Scam from her collar onto her feet. He didn't notice the little bottle that was beside her and nearly stepped on it before Alex kicked it away while her feet were still on the ground because in the next moment they were in the air. "After I'm done with you, I'll finish your two friends off, and you'll wish I had killed you a long time ago. Because this, _this _will be a painful death." H e laughed for a moment and swung Alex into the railing. She collided with the metal and flipped over to be left suspended into the air with the only thing keeping her from falling onto the first floor ground was the tight grip she kept on the railing bars. But she was slipping.

Sam couldn't take this anymore. She had to get up and save the other two, Alex could fall any second! Scam moved slowly towards Alex with evil intent in his eyes. He began, "Oh, Alex, it's kind of sad, really, I hated you the least out of all you little brats. Actually, it pains me dearly to do what I'm about to," Scam said with a mix of sarcasm and amusement laced in his words and tone. "But, when I think about it, I realize, I really, really, want you dead." Scam was so content at this moment. He'd been running from these three for three years now, and now he was in a position of power. He had them all where he wanted them. Clover was licking her wounds (metaphorically) while she tried to move, and Samantha was still trying to catch her breath. She held up the smallest fight; she may have been the smartest but it was viable to say she wasn't as physically strong as the others. Scam laughed as he neared Alex, everything was perfect.

Sam lurched up from the ground and moved quietly to where Alex had been. She'd seen the small bottle from where she was when Alex kicked it to safety. Sam quietly grabbed it and moved towards Scam whose back was turned to her. She looked over to see that Alex was still hanging on and saw her coming. She gave Sam a quick glance to make her understand that she knew her plan and was going to play along to make more time for Sam's attack.

"You know Scam," Alex said as she winced in pain. The metal bars were becoming slippery as the sweat that formed on her fingertips ran down to her palms. "I think you'll really regret what you're about to do," she said with a sly smirk that made the happy look on Scam's face fade into amused confusion. The forming sweat on Alex's forehead dripped into her eyes and made them burn, distracting her slightly from continuing all the while it was adding more dramatic effect to the situation.

Scam stopped for a second, bending over the railing, he grabbed hold of Alex's wrist that was gripping onto the metal bar. He was curious to hear the girl's last words before she fell to her death, that or a broken neck (after which he'd kill her if she didn't die from the fall… or should he let her suffer an even slower death? Ah, the questions and brilliant and torturous plans that plagued a villain's mind were abundant.) "Please, do humor me. Why will I regret pulling your hand off the bar and dropping you to your death?"

"Well, for one Scam," Alex said while quickly eying Sam who was almost right behind Scam, just waiting to grab his attention and spray him with the sedative before he could respond to her surprise attack. "You'll miss trying to kill us and getting your revenge on WOOHP. And secondly, if you dare drop me, even though we have to capture you safely, Sam won't hesitate to kill you."

That last bit caught Scam's attention. He looked at Alex, she smirked and he turned around. As soon and he saw Sam his eyes lit up in surprise. His mouth was slightly ajar, and before he could even make a sound, he let go of Alex's wrist and Sam sprayed him with the sedative. In an instant he fell to the ground, his eyes closed and his expression blank; he was definitely unconscious this time. Sam ran to help Alex up who was still dangling in the air with a sigh of release and a half-smile that threatened to turn full.

"Sammie, you earn major cool point for that smooth move! Oh, and for saving me from becoming a splat on the floor, you earn major friendship points! Thanks!" Alex was bursting with joy, jumping up and down while clapping her hands together, but then she caught sight of Clover. Clover was on the ground farther away from them, sitting upright as best as she could before she fell back onto the crates behind her.

"Clover!" both Sam and Alex screamed as they ran to her and picked her up onto her feet. Clover was bruised, but still conscious and alert. She was responsive when her friends looked at her and she gave then a look of pure gratefulness for helping her up. The two supported her by the shoulders and walked with her towards Scam's lying form.

"I'm going to call Jerry to pick us up," Sam said as she moved to get the x-powder in her pocket while still holding Clover.

"Should we tie him up or cuff him or something?" Alex asked with a thoughtful expression.

"We don't have any cuffs, Alex. Plus, if that sedative is strong enough to put a tiger out it'll be enough to keep Scam down for a few hours until WOOHP agents show up," Clover responded giving her friends a smile.

Sam called WOOHP and told a happy Jerry to send for a helicopter and a few agents. She gave him a brief explanation of the fight and he told the girls it was a job well done and the he would reimburse them for all the wounds they'd suffered.

After a while, the three girls joined in a hug and fell down onto the floor, contemplating their wounds and bruises and whether they should ruff Scam up while he was still sedated, but they decided against it because it was something he would do, not them.

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Thank you SOOOOOO much for the reviews and the favorite story thing that was done and the story alert (which is a good thing, i hope, i haven't gotten the hand of this so i wouldn't know) I was extremely happy you liked it :) Can't wait to start the new chapter (goes off to write more stuff after dinner).

Bye-bye,

DemonsArePersonal


	3. Sleep

Here's chapter three :D I know it'd been kinda weird that I've written three stories in a matter of 24 hours, but I'm on my march break and I want to take a break from all the homework I've been doing all this week. Thanks so much for the reviews that you guys have given me so far, and I would be sooooooooooooo thankful if I got more because I get super pumped when I do :)

Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: Totally Spies belongs to Marathon Inc.**

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Chapter 3: Sleep

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2:00 a.m. Outside wig warehouse, near Los Angeles

"Clover, did you get in alright? Need anything?" Sam asked in a concern tone that often earned her the reputation of the responsible adult (how lame, right?) or a nagging mother. But this concern was truly welcomed and it brought a smile to Clover's face, and Alex's, that her friend cared so much.

"Sam, I'm fine, don't worry so much. Besides, if I needed anything remotely comforting I don't think I'll get it as we're about to land off," Clover said being strapped into her seat by Alex who sat on her left because she was too sore to twist.

"Yeah, you're right. But I promise, once we get home, I'll help you with that paper no matter how late it gets." Sam said.

xx

About half an hour ago the three girls were waiting on the second floor of the dark and dust warehouse. Scam was on the floor in front of them, motionless, but not dead. Oh! did they wish they could deal him a few blows right about now, but that would be foul seeing as he couldn't defend himself. As they sat there, they noticed the moonlight had shifted and was directly on them now. It made Sam feel relaxed and sleepy. Checking her x-powder she saw that it was already 1:34 a.m., not that she hadn't stayed up much longer before or not gone to sleep all night, but right now, she just wanted to close her eyes. She turned around to see Clover had fallen asleep on Alex's shoulder and Alex had fallen asleep on her head. They looked so peaceful even after all that had just happened and the wounds they suffered. Sam, on the other hand, wasn't so blissful. She felt like she had let her friends down. "_If only I'd been more vigilant and not blown my cover, then maybe Clover wouldn't have that red and purple bruise on her arm and the side of her spy suit scraped. And maybe Alex wouldn't have had to hold on for dear life and taken a metal rod to the stomach (_even if she was pushed onto it)." So much of it was her fault, how was she going to make it right? She didn't know, but her friends were really sweet. They didn't blame her, rather, they were still worried about her respiratory system. Was it working alright? Yes, she reassured them, it was working fine.

If only a WOOHP helicopter would get here soon. Sam didn't think she could talk anymore of keeping her eyes open and guarding Scam's body just in case he woke up (knowing Scam, it wouldn't be a surprise if he did) while the other two slept.

Then suddenly, slowly but surely, the sound of a helicopter descending was heard. At the noise, Clover and Alex woke up from the cat nap and began to stretch.

"Finally they're here!" Alex groaned loudly getting up and rolling her shoulders and twisting while reaching down to her right foot with her left arm and her left foot with her right arm. She shook off the sleepiness and gave a toothy smile to Sam who eyed a yawning Clover with a funny look.

"I thought they'd never show up and we would have to drag Scam's butt back to WOOHP by ourselves," Clover said while still yawning. She gave Scam a quick look of contempt and turned her head around. Then, a really weird look came across her face. A look that resembled that of a mad clown who was hatching an evil plan to hit a defenseless child (who'd just grabbed a hold of his nose and "honked" it) with a lemon crème pie, so it would sting and he'd be taught a lesson. Of course, even mad clowns weren't that evil, but Clover's expression could make anyone (other than her two best who stuck by her through thick and thin) give up red lipstick forever. "Maybe, girls, we could hang him from the helicopter and fly through a forest. Oh, the unknown scratches and bruises he would wake up with; I get a tingling feeling when I think about it." She said faking a maniacal laugh a little too well.

"Clover, that sounds super great and all but if he wakes up with a bunch of cuts and scrapes and leaves in his hair then he might be less likely to help us," Alex pointed out at which Sam scoffed. "Alex, he probably isn't going to help us in the first place, why would he?" Sam asked rhetorically, the expression of which Alex didn't grasp because she said, "Well, because, he's got his pride to think about." "You're grasping at straws, Alex," Sam replied just when the warehouse door opened.

Clover, who was on her feet now with Alex's support, said "I was wondering where they were."

Sam ran to the railing and yelled to the WOOHP agents who had entered in and seemed confused that they didn't see anyone. "We'll be up right away, ma'am," a man dress in black yelled back. All at once, a dozen WOOHP agents piled onto the second floor and began wrapping the girls in blankets and carrying Scam to a helicopter. An agent named Donny, whom the girls knew briefly in their earlier spy days, came up and helped Clover down the stairs and into the helicopter. Two others came for Sam and Alex too.

Xx

The rainstorm was still going on and it made the dry spies wet once again. The night was terribly dark, and the rain droplets felt like hail on Sam's body. This had to be one of their worst missions yet. The atmosphere was dreary and cold and didn't bode well for the real test that was up ahead. The battle only just started and _this _was the easy part. Sam slowly contemplated the situation. Her red hair, so apparent even in the darkness, clung to her face and her body. She stood, with one foot inside the helicopter and thought, "_Why he would ever agree; he hates us, he wants us dead, and that's exactly __what'll happen if he doesn't help us." _She sighed quietly to herself and looked up when she heard Clover making a pleading noise. Get in now or otherwise risk being left behind the look told her warningly. Sam finally got a grip of herself and went in to sit beside Clover as she closed the door to the helicopter behind her. She shivered closer to Clover in the helicopter and the three huddled for warmth.

"Ready?" the pilot called to the girls.

"Ready" they chimed in unison. And then it caught her attention. On the opposite seat in front of them was _him. _Ugh, why couldn't they put him somewhere else, Sam thought, why did he have to ruin the peaceful ride to WOOHP?

"Just ignore the extra load, Sam," Clover said in disdain when she saw her friend's expression. Sam felt annoyed and a little revolted at having to share a helicopter ride with Tim Scam right in front of her, but her eyes were tired and she needed to sleep for the night of essay writing, Clover's, that is, ahead of her. As her eyes slowly began to close, the last thing she saw was Scam's body strapped onto the opposite seat. He looked, oddly enough, peaceful, as if for once, he could sleep an undisturbed and malevolent-free dream.

He was, in fact, so deep in darkness inside his sleep that he dreamt nothing at all. The darkness, emptiness, it was so peaceful and welcoming, and in his subconscious mind he longed for that peace as an unattainable goal. His life was never meant for such things; it was a hand destiny had dealt him, and unknowingly, he accepted it.

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This was kinda short, i guess somewhat of a filler chapter, and here everyone is just a bit dazed and confused. The next one, though, is going to be super long and probably updated less sooner because it will be so freaking long (at least, I hope it will) :)

Reviews would be greatly appreciated, and if you want more dialogue, BELIEVE ME, you'll get it next chapter, and it'll take a lighter [yet serious at the same time (how will I describe such juxtapositioned themes?)] tone.

Sayonara,

DemonsArePersonal


	4. Hesitation

Hey! Well, i _was _going to make this a long chapter but i thought, "why not update sooner?" Plus, this came out to six pages on _Word_ so i thought it was pretty OK in length. Read, Read, Read! :D

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Chapter 4: Hesitation

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2:15 a.m. WOOHP headquarters, Jerry's office

The lines on Jerry's forehead were scrunched together; as the middle aged man sat in his office chair he was consumed with worry and an anticipation for something that was about to come, unknown, but looming in the near future. He signed deeply, putting his hands to his forehead and rubbing his temples, waiting for the girls to arrive with Tim Scam.

"What's wrong, Jerry?" G.L.A.D.I.S asked him.

"Oh, nothing new, G.L.A.D.I.S. The same old worries," Jerry said deeply trying to fake composure. He laughed quietly despite his worries, sure with every hope he had that WOOHP would overcome this obstacle like it always did.

"Nice to know you haven't forgotten to laugh in times of distress," said G.L.A.D.I.S.

3:42 a.m. WOOHP headquarters, Jerry's Office

"Finally, girls, you're here!" Jerry exclaimed after looking up from his desk when his door opened and they walked in. They looked awfully tired and were all wrapped in blankets.

"That was one heck of a mission you sent us on there, Jer. Very..." Clover paused to think in a dramatic way, "exhausting. Not to mention wet and rough," she indicated taking the blanket off from around her and showing him her scraped spy suit and torn sleeve with a sneaking bruise under it. Jerry looked sadly.

"Girls, come closer, I want to have a better look at you," he gestured them closer. Upon further inspection he saw Alex's collar had been ripped and her hands were red with peeling skin. Around Sam's neck were red finger marks. "You didn't tell me the fight was that rough, Samantha," he said with a distress sigh. "Are you three alright?"

"Well, I didn't have the greatest time fighting for air, or seeing my best friend pushed into a bunch of wooden crates," she gestured to Clover, "and my other best friend hanging from a railing," she gestured to Alex. "Bar, Sammie," Alex corrected. "Yeah, a metal bar," Sam said again.

"I'm so sorry, I promise to make it up to you three when I can. But now that I know you girls are well, or at least as well as you can be right now, I think you should go home and rest. We'll keep Scam in our holding facility under guard and tomorrow we can talk to him together. I'll WOOHP you in after school, so be ready." Jerry smiled slightly, wanting to make light of the situation because convincing Tim Scam to help them was probably going to be one of the hardest parts of the mission.

The girls looked at each other tiredly. "You know, Jer, I think that's the first time you've told us beforehand that you're going to WOOHP us. And it feels kinda weird to be expecting it," Alex said and laughed at the thought and rolled her eyes in amusement when Jerry began to reply.

"Well you know, I had the darnedest idea that you girls might be tired and would like to know when to expect a WOOHPING," Jerry said fakingly at which the girls laughed.

Clover turned to Sam, "Can I crash at your place, Sam, I don't want my mom to see me, if she does she's gonna freak and ask a bunch of questions about my arm and…" Sam, broke in seeing that her friend was talking faster than even she could handle. "Clover, it's fine, you can stay at my place tonight and I can help you do you're essay. Alex, wanna stay over too?" "Sure, the rents think I'm at your place anyways," Alex smiled with a thumbs up making Sam put her hand to her head.

The girls were WOOHPed back to Sam's house after they changed out of their tarnished spy suits. Jerry went back to his desk, once again in worry. But after a moment or two he shot up. He walked over to the door and down to WOOHP's holding facility, not its jail. He didn't want to put Scam in his old jail cell this time, no, that might make him even less convincible. They had to treat him less strictly, and let him move about, though heavily guarded, in a room where he wasn't confined to a small cell with a bunk and toilet, and on occasions, his hands bound in cuffs because he kept escaping (even then he always managed to). On his way two floors down, Jerry cam across WOOPH agents and greeted them in passing. When he came into a lit hallway with two guards at the door, he stood for a second. He nodded two the men dressed in black ties and hesitated before he opened the door. Slowly turning the knob, hoping it would make his appearance less awkward, Jerry finally stepped in without looking for Scam. When the door was closed he turned around. Guards were sitting behind a glass wall, guarding Scam who was still sedated. It had been hours and it would seem he was still out as cold as when Jerry saw him first. To see Scam so defenseless like this in front of him was an odd sight for Jerry. Even when he worked at WOOHP a long time ago he wasn't one to let his guard down. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, not for this moment and the way Tim Scam had turned out, but for the old days. Memories in a quick remembrance flooded him. Tim Scam hadn't always been this way; he was a loyal and integral spy for WOOHP and Jerry. He was intelligent and talented and created many of the weapons that the girls used when they started out and were still using to this day. He would come into work early and leave late, sometimes giving Jerry a lift home and laughing with him over the incident with the new intern in the Weapons Development Lab. "_I'll you Jerry," _Jerry once remembered him saying over a few drinks, "_they don't make them like me anymore. That intern, she's a looker, but as dim as a lamppost and more accident prone then anyone should be in this line of work, developing dangerous weapons, that is." _Scam laughed heartily then and drank from his glass of cognac. How he turned evil and wanted nothing more than to destroy WOOHP was still a mystery to Jerry; why he [Scam] had decided to break his trust and illegally use his creations despite WOOHP's integrity was beyond his understanding.

"He still out cold, boss, hasn't even twitched," the guard behind the glass wall said through a speaker on the wall. He laughed a little bit, to Jerry's dismay for the situation and out of a brief sympathy for Scam who he had just remembered to fondly, because Tim Scam's reputation was well known in the organization- even the different branches in other countries kept a look out for him.

"Alright, call me in when he wakes up," Jerry said, and with that he left and went to his office to further piece together his intel on the situation in Provence.

4:06 a.m. Sam's House, living room

"Feels good to finally be home. Good thing mom and dad are out," Sam said with a big smile and she fell onto the lush beige couch in the living room. Clover sighed loudly as she melted into the matching recliner like a pile of goo and whimpered while rubbing her bruised left arm. Alex, with a less liquid-like action, sat herself onto the red shag rug and laid down slowly so as not to worsen the pain she was in.

It was around four in the morning and they immediately dozed off in the positions they were in even though their sleep would be more comfortable in rooms with beds. The essay Clover had to do was forgotten, all that mattered now was glorious sleep.

6:45 a.m. Sam's house, living room

The morning was bright and Sam woke first (being very good at getting up on time). When she came to her senses she remembered that they were suppose to work on Clover's essay. "Oh, fudge!" she exclaimed to herself wearily. "Better go make some coffee to wake the others up." As Sam went into her kitchen and opened the top cabinet on the left of her, the floor beneath her opened, as it did where Alex and Clover were, and they all fell through. "JERRY!" all three exclaimed together even though Sam fell into a separate tunnel than Clover and Alex who were definitely awake now.

"Oof," Sam let out as she fell on the red velvet coach in Jerry's office. He turned around from his desk and began to open his mouth when Clover and Alex came through the ceiling and landed on top of Sam. "Sorry, Sammie," Alex said apologetically as she tried to get up off Sam and from under Clover. "Jerry!" Clover yelled. "I thought you were WOOHPing us _after _school! What's with the early morning call?"

"It's time now, girls. We should go and speak to Tim Scam ASAP."Jerry looked strict and left Clover to remain quiet and she rolled her eyes with annoyance. "Quickly straighten yourselves up, you must look confident when you speak to Scam, and make your way down to the holding facility, I will meet you girls in a little bit. Quickly now, don't dawdle." As soon as he said it, Jerry left with a WOOHP agent the three failed to notice when they got in. Sam ran her hair through her long red hair trying to untangle the knots that resulted from the rain and carelessness from last night. Alex tied her shoes and stretched while Clover straightened down her blond hair and rubbed her face letting the blood circulate in her cheeks to make them look livelier. When they were all tidied up they went down to the holding facility.

"Well, there is an upside to a morning WOOHPing," Clover said to the girls in the elevator down. Alex turned, "And what's that, Clover?" "Well, I can try to drag our _pleasant _(she said with air quotes) convo with Scam till after fourth period so I'll have time to write that essay. Sam laughed, "Just like something you'd do Clover," she said stepping out of the elevator first when they arrived to the floor. "Well, I'm not looking forward to this, that psycho is completely…. completely…" Alex searched for the word, "…well, psycho!" "I think he's more of a sociopath," Sam said with a thought. She turned the knob on the door and walked confidently into the room. The other two followed.

Scam was there; awake now, with his back turned to them. "Hello." Hello was all he said with a calm disposure and annoyed smirk in their direction. Scam looked the same as he did last night, only without his trench coat. He wore a short sleeve black shirt with a high neck that was almost form-fitting but not stretched (though it was scrunched form the rain last night). His pants were also black, loose, but that of a gym trainer who didn't reveal the strong legs underneath. To top off his spy look (_ex -spy)_ he wore black leather boots. He still looked like a WOOHP employee, dressed ready for action as they all were, but was far from it. The muscles on his arm were apparent but not over-bearing enough that they took away from his frame. He was built well with height, strong shoulders, and a chest (from what could be imagined from the form-fitting shirt he wore) that was large and became smaller around the stomach with abs. The only thing more pleasing to the eyes than his figure was his face. Dark brown hair with short bangs sat upon a tanned head. His eyes were sea foam, complementary to his complexion, and his cheeks were sculpted high on his face. The overall look was sophisticated and dream-worthy, if only he wasn't so evil and kicked the girls around like rag dolls.

The three looked at him pointedly, now would be an ok time to ruff him up, Alex thought, since he was conscious and all.

Sam stepped forward now, "Lets skip the pleasantries, Scam, and get to the point. Jerry will be here soon and then we'll explain why you're here rather than in a prison cell chained to the wall like you should be," she said bitterly to Scam which he replied to with a deep growl. He was infuriated, Sam could tell, and she straightened up a bit and turned to face away from him.

"You know, I think this is the first time he hasn't come at us in full throttle after a lame speech of revenge," Clover pointed out to Alex, speaking especially loudly to make sure Scam heard every amused word she said. "Yeah, you're right Clover, it's probably because he has no chance of escaping this time and has to behave," Alex replied, less mockingly than Clover, but with equal bitterness. "Guys," Sam said to the girls gesturing them to stop, "cool it. No need to make this more awkward than it already is."

Sam had been crouching over at the nearby table but now he straightened up, curious. Why _was _he here rather than in his jail cell? They had caught him to put him back in there, hadn't they? But if they did, why didn't they just take him straight there. Were they going to lecture him first? Scam laughed inwardly at that thought with a smirk on his lips; it was funny to think they would ask him to stop his evil ways and play nice. Then, Jerry stepped in bringing Scam out of his thoughts to look up at his former boss. He thought the man looked greyer than the last time he'd seen him, maybe they were going to lecture him to play nice. But that was impossible; he would destroy WOOHP without hesitation.

"Oh, look, the gang's here!" Scam exclaimed loudly with sarcasm when Jerry caught his eye. "Now, if you would just slap me on the wrist and put me in my cozy cell, I can get to escaping much sooner- make some extra work for your delinquent spies," he said to Jerry sneering toward the three behind him.

"Delinquent? Us? You're the one who-" Clover began before she was stopped by Jerry's hand.

"I'm afraid it's not so easy this time, Tim." Tim? 'Tim', Scam thought. Jerry hadn't called him that since he was fired from WOOHP.

"Why so informal, Jerry, it almost reminds me of the ol' days," he commented with a look of distaste. He stared with angry eyes into Jerry's grey ones, and scowled.

"Believe me, this is not a situation I am want to be in, but matters have come up in which we need…" Jerry went quiet; he couldn't force the words out of his mouth. The girls looked at him sympathetically.

"Need what?" Scam asked with a look of curious confusion.

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What does Jerry need from Scam? Any guesses? Well, you probably know from the posted summary already (which, now that i think of it, gives away too much too soon) but I'll try to drag it out interestingly. I would really like to know what you guys think of the story so far and if you have any ideas you want to contribute for further chapters or Scamantha fantasies ( i love reading the one's **Cresenta's Lark **comes up with) and i'll try to incorporate them :)


	5. Convincing the Enemy

Sorry for the long wait, it has been days before i updated this. Well, I hope you like it :) And I'll TRY to be quicker next time :)

**Disclaimer: Totally Spies belongs to Marathon inc. **

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Chapter 5: Convincing the Enemy

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There was a silence in the room for a moment. Jerry struggled to spit the words out of his mouth. To ask Tim Scam of all people for help didn't stay well with his ego especially since he fired the guy and constantly put him in jail.

Sam and the other two could see his struggle and she decided to step up once again and face Scam. This wasn't going to go smoothly. "Look Scam, we need your help," she spat out quickly wanting to get the word 'help' out of her mouth and out into the open.

"You need my help?" Tim asked amusedly. The smile on his face grew and he burst out with a loud laugh. It was mocking of WOOHP's pride and the four could do nothing but endure it. "What do mean, you want my help? Is this suppose to be a joke, because understand this, for your sakes it better be," he said as his amused features turned snide.

"Unfortunately, Tim, it's no joke. WOOHP needs your assistance in bringing down a madman," Jerry said looking into his eyes with honesty only to receive a chuckle from the man in front of him.

"I'm so sorry for my rude behavior, Jerry," Tim said with mocking sorrow. "But our previous experiences have soured my manners." Tim threw a chair across the room in rage and yelled, "Put me back in my cell and don't expect anything from me!" The girls jumped back in fright but Jerry stood bolted to the ground, he expected this sort of reaction.

"Hey, listen you raging psycho! We don't like this just as much as you don't but we need your help desperately otherwise WOOHP is gone!" Clover yelled in response and regretted having said anything at all. Calling him a raging psycho and saying they needed his help to _save _WOOHP was not going to make him any more convincible.

"You think I care? I want NOTHING more than to see WOOHP destroyed!" Scam retorted angrily through clenched teeth and fists.

"Tim, I think you should hear us out first before you decide anything seeing as you play great importance in the threat we're facing." Jerry was very calm as he spoke with confidence and waited to hear Scam's response.

"I play importance in what threat? I'll have you know I haven't done anything to your little organization!" As Scam said this he was honestly confused and looked hard at Jerry and Sam, ignoring the other two whom quietly watched the scene with interest.

"The threat we face has to do with you directly, of course you wouldn't know because as far as you're concerned you and your comrades have split ways."

Scam looked at Jerry questioningly. Jerry knew that he and the LAMOS had parted paths? But last he remembered, they hadn't been planning anything when he left the poorly named group. "I haven't seen them in a long time and I don't know what those idiots are planning, and even if I did, I wouldn't care to help you."

"On the contrary, Tim Scam, I think you will," Jerry said.

"And why is that?"

"Because," Jerry said, "you have your pride and dignity to think about."

This statement from Jerry thoroughly confused Tim. "_What? What does Jerry mean by that? My pride and dignity…. that was a vague response._ What? My pride and dignity?" Scam chuckled in a low growl. He sank down onto the table and leaned on the table looking up at him with mocking eyes and a half smirk. "Jerry, if you think I'll help you by poking at my ego then you're surely mistaken. I suggest you save your breath and put me away already."

Jerry came closer to Tim and copied his posture, leaning on the table staring into Tim's eyes with confidence, prepared to let the entire truth out. At this, Tim was taken aback. His smirk disappeared and he looked at Jerry with pure hatred and squinted eyes. He spoke then "Fine. For the hell of it, why don't you tell me? What can I do for you?"

Jerry leaned back at began to walk to the corner of the office over-looking the city below. It was still morning and there was traffic on the roads and streets as the commute to work and school was at its busiest. The people moving below would carry on with their lives, completely unaware of what would happen to them if one man decided contempt meant more than the lives of others.

"Tim, you were forced to leave ('leave' is a much nicer word than 'fired') WOOHP because of your illegal use of weapons. We both remember quite well that you were working on a software and prototype for missiles without my knowledge. When I finally came to know of it, you were terminated but we were never able to locate that software of yours. Assuming that you didn't have access to the facilities or your prototype to further your research, we stopped looking."

"A bit careless on your part, don't you think?" Tim said with a devious half smile. "I don't understand what that has to do with you needing my help."

"Has that project been scrapped on your to-do list?" Jerry asked

"Why do you think you have any right know?" Tim said in response.

"Because," Jerry said with a sigh that followed, "It has surfaced once again, and we know you're not responsible."

"Are you saying someone's stolen my project?" Tim questioned

"Not just anyone, we believe that your comrades are behind this." Jerry said preparing himself for more explanation.

"The LAMOS? Those idiots? You've got to be kidding me! They haven't got a clue which way's up, they wouldn't even know how to hack into the software let alone use it." Tim roared with laughter, he was utterly tickled by the thought of Boogie Gus in front of a computer trying to hack into his program, passing through the extensive security codes.

Inwardly, Jerry smiled at the same thought, unaware that it ran through Tim's mind as well. He'd known Boogie Gus too, and in their old days Jerry was the one to deal with all the software and electronics. He came back to reality, though, and continued. "If that were the entire case it wouldn't be a problem and we would deal with it ourselves, but sadly it isn't. WOOHP escapee, The Brain, is working with them. He, on the other hand, has been able to hack into your software and plans to use it. Our intelligence shows that the entire program is at his command; they've only left to finish what you started and assemble the missiles. Soon enough, they'll have the power to launch those missiles at WOOHP and continue with The Brain's previous plan: to start World War III by attacking countries and making it seem as though their allies have done it!"

"And you think I'll help you out of pure need to soothe my ego? Ha! That's ridiculous, and let me tell you, you're better off trying to solve this on your own- highly impossible as it is, then wasting your precious time getting me to go along with your 'save WOOHP, save the world' plan." Tim scoffed and looked at the worried expression Jerry was so used to wearing.

For a little while the room was quiet. Tim sat down on the table all the while with his face sitting upon his hands that rested on his knees. He faced away from the three girls who stood there, completely quiet in staring as Jerry and Tim spoke. Sam, who felt the need to impose on a conversation that seemed to belong only to the familiar acquaintance shared by Tim and Jerry, spoke up. "If we could handle this on our own, then we wouldn't give you the opportunity to see us with pleading expressions, but we need you to –

Scam turned around and stared incredulously at the fiery redhead whose face was a tomato red boiling with anger. She looks like a clown fish, Tim thought. To see her, Samantha the high and mighty spy, with a 'pleading' expression (as she had admitted to her regret) was so entertaining. He cocked an eyebrow with a vicious smile on his face. He was going to make her regret what she had blurted out. "Are you saying, Samantha, that you're incapable of accomplishing this feet on your own? I thought you were supposed to be the smart one, the one with the highest IQ out of WOOHP's current employees. You can't do this on your own? I guess you _do_ desperately _need_ me then, don't you?" He paused for a second then continued, "Huh, seems to me that I overestimated your intelligence. You're nothing but a bimbo blonde like your friend there." Clover gasped from behind and yelled 'HEY' making balls of her fists but was ignored by Scam who looked at Samantha only, waiting for her retort. He wore a mocking innocent expression so irritating to the point where Sam couldn't take his crap anymore.

"You conniving little—

"Uh uh uh, Sam," Scam moved his finger back and forth as he talked. "That's no way to talk to someone when you want their help."

"Screw you!" Sam screamed now. "We don't need you r help or your high and mighty attitude, understand? I can pass all the security codes in your software without your help!"

"The Brain may be intelligent enough to hack through the defense system I've created, but you, you wouldn't even know how to get past the iris identification codes without me!" Scam yelled back

Sam took a huge step forward with all the rage built up within her in the past few minutes and began to speak before she was stopped by Jerry. "Sam, that's enough," Jerry said with a strict and powerful tone. He was upset by her outburst. "Tim, we are ready to make this an opportunity worth your while. We are prepared to bargain with your demands in exchange for your help."

This caught Tim's interest. Bargain? He let out a short chuckle and turned to Jerry. "You'll make it worth my while, huh? What can you give me to make me set aside my contempt to help the organization I hate so much and people that I don't even know? (he wouldn't even help people he _did _know) I'm even willing to go to this 'Brain' character myself and build the missiles for him if just to see WOOHP burnt to the ground. Why would I want to save you?"

"Despite your cool façade, Tim, we share a past and friendship that cannot be erased no matter how hard we try; I know you well enough to know that this bruises your ego more than you let on." Jerry smiled with an all-knowing look at Tim. He had gotten to him. "You're absolutely enraged by the fact that the project you designed has been stolen by another criminal who plans to take all the glory that originally belongs to you."

It was all true. Tim Scam, the evil genius, hated to think that his hard work was going to be credited to an idiot (Tim doesn't know The Brain is actually far more intelligent then he thinks) who couldn't even come up with his own way to destroy WOOHP (something he wanted to do) and create war that he had to steal his research and software. How dare anyone have the guts to take from him? But no, he couldn't let Jerry think this was getting to him, he had to be clever about this. "Hah, you think you have it all figured out, don't you, Jerry? Well, it'll hurt you to know that I'm happy to see WOOHP destroyed even _if_ I'm not the one given credit for it." Scam was quite good in his convincing; with years of practice in being deceptive he was able to fool all four of them.

Jerry was tense now. Did he make a mistake in recognizing Scam? Or was he just lying as he always did? Risks couldn't be taken; Jerry was afraid that Scam wouldn't bargain… now the stakes had to be risen and more would have to be offered. Jerry looked at Scam in weariness and brought his hand to his head, he was far too old for this sort of game. "Name your price," was all he said. Scam was a bit astonished at this, were they really so desperate?

"I can't believe you're so desperate, Jerry, what have you come to? Bargaining with a criminal to stop another criminal, not very idealistic is it?" Scam was smiling now, he had gotten to him.

For Jerry it was a blow to his entire nature, he'd stooped so low that he had to ask for help from someone like Scam, how was he going to justify such an act to himself? He looked at Sam, Clover, and Alex with pleading eyes, hoping they understood his desperation and didn't condemn him for what he was doing. They looked back at him with sympathetic eyes and small smiles- they weren't going to hold this against him.

"You don't tire of being a jerk, do you Scam?" Sam said making him turn. "We're willing to give you what you want, why can't you just agree and shut up?"

Scam cocked his eye and got up to face her. "Hmmm, you know I'm right, don't you Sam? Well, never mind. The answer is still no; you can't offer me anything I want."

"You're right, we can't offer you anything you want but we are willing- Sam was cut off.

"To give you the next best thing," Jerry finished.

Scam turned. "And what's that?"

"You name it. Help us stop The Brain from launching missiles at WOOHP and different parts of the world, and we'll give you the best at our disposal." Jerry was firm in his resolve; principles and morality paled in comparison to peoples' lives and his organization that would help them no matter what.

"Really?" So many things came to mind that Scam wanted but he wouldn't say anything, he wanted to see how far Jerry would go to buy his help. "How far are you willing to go?"

"I won't, under any circumstances, help you commit any sort of illegal acts, close down WOOHP or give it to you. But I can give you whatever else; money, freedom-"

"Freedom?" Scam asked.

Clover piped up at this in utter disbelief. "Jerry, I don't think-

Jerry gave her a sharp but understanding look. "Trust me, Clover; I know what I'm doing. Yes, Tim, freedom. After everything is finished, I'll let you walk out of here with a clean slate, you'll be a free man. But, of course, if you commit anything illegal we'll have to put you in jail again. Still, ask for any amount, we'll give it to you."

Tim thought it was amusing how Jerry thought he was reeling him in, but he wasn't. "It'll take more than money and freedom."

"What more do you want?" Jerry asked, worried it was something to great to forfeit.

"In time, Jerry, I'll name that condition when the time comes," he said. "_When the hurlyburly's done,_ _When the battle's lost and won" _Tim thought. "For now, consider me bought."

It all seems to have turned out well, but little did Jerry and the three spies know Scam couldn't be bought; it was all just an illusion to carry out his plan…

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I hope you liked it, the next chapter will be better now that all the explanations are out of the way.

"_When the hurlyburly's done,_ _When the battle's lost and won"_ This is a line from Shakespeare's Macbeth, Act 1 Scene 1. I thought it was suitable to Scam's character to make him an admirer of Shakespeare

**DemonsArePersonal **out.


	6. Weary Afternoon

Hey guys, I'm soooooo sorry for the late update but I was really stuck. I had written a bit of it and i wanted to make it so much longer than the other chapters but i couldn't think of what to write next. I have the idea but writing it down is difficult right now. I had this laying around for a while so i decided i might as well put it up so it didn't seem like i stopped writing. I'm not sure whether i have a lot of readers, but I'm thankful for all of them :) You guys are so awesome and please don't be too mad :)

And i've forgotten to say this for a few chapters but **PLEASE **review! **That would be so awesome! Review! **

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Disclaimer: I do not own Totally Spies (is this necessary to write?)

**Chapter 6: Weary Afternoon **

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4:00 p.m. Sam's house, Sam's room

It was a long morning, the conversation with Tim Scam had ended a while ago and the girls went to their respective homes to get some rest. Sam was beat, she didn't have it in her to do the homework she'd gotten from a friend who actually went to school today. Upon entering her room she threw herself on the bed and sighed deeply. Thoughts popped into her head one after another. They'd caught Scam and were able to convince him to help them; what was that condition he didn't reveal to them?; how could he have been convinced that easily (but Sam wasn't complaining, it meant she could go home earlier); they had to work with Scam now; they'd have to see his face every day for days to come. So many things had happened and this was only the beginning.

Sam rolled onto her side pulling the covers up to her stomach; maybe she should sleep, but then she wouldn't be able to sleep at night. "_Ugh… I can't just do nothing, it's killing me! Should I go back to WOOHP and talk to Jerry? No, he said he'd call us back in tomorrow for further instructions, plus, I don't think seeing Scam right now is going to help any. I know…"_ She left her thoughts for a moment and stared blindly at the ceiling. One part of her mouth tugged upwards and she shot up and grabbed her cell from the bedside table, dialing Alex's number fervently. "Alex, meet me at the Groove at 5-ish? Yeah?" Sam smiled. "Awesome, tell Clover." Her expression went down a bit and she nodded, "Oh, right, she's out with Blaine. Well, then I guess it's just you and me, k? Alright, see you soon." Sam got up from bed and rushed to the bathroom. She had an hour to get ready for the mall, and in that hour she needed to shower, dress, and get there by ways of public transportation (she didn't have a car like Clover).

Inside the bathroom, Sam closed the door behind her and leaned back on the sink. Slouching she turned around to face the vanity mirror and stare at her reflection. As she examined herself she saw that her eyes had dark circles under them, the situation was affecting her more than she thought, and her skin was a little pale. "A quick shower'll get my mind off things," she said to herself. Sam undressed and stepped into the standing shower that ran luke-warm water; she felt her worries melting away.

"_Everything will turn out fine, I'm sure, it always does," _she said in a dream like state. "_I should worry about the simple things in life instead… like….why I don't have a boyfriend…."_ Sam always found herself amazed with the thoughts that occurred out of nowhere in her mind. Why would she think that? Was she jealous of Clover, probably. Not that she liked Blaine, but she wished she had more luck with guys like Clover and Alex did. They never seemed to be boyfriend-less for long, even if their relationships were short. "Maybe it's not meant to be," Sam said to her shower head, "maybe I'll end up like aunt Marie, she's never been married. She adopted twin babies, if I remember correctly, from China? Maybe I'll do that. Or, I can just buy some cats and become a cat lady," Sam chuckled to herself, she wasn't too fond of cats, dogs were more her cup of tea. "I'll breed dogs… and babysit Clover and Alex's kids." She sighed inwardly, thinking of such things wasn't any better than worrying about the mission. At this point in her life she was a confused person. She didn't know what she wanted to do for a career, so she enrolled herself in all the basics at Mali U, but was her future career going to be working for WOOHP? Would she be there forever- not that she minded, but it would be an active life.

Without realizing it, Sam had been in the shower for half an hour, and when she finally caught sight of the wall clock she yelped and finished up quickly. Wrapping the towel around her and washing her face with her favorite face wash; she smiled to herself in the mirror and bolted for her room. _Ah, crap! I have to be there in 25 minutes! Maybe I should borrow mom's car, no, best not risk it."_ Sam wasn't much of a risk-taker nowadays, aside from her spy work. Dressed and ready to shop, she ran to the bus stop near the park and caught one before it left. "_Phew," _she thought looking at her watch to see that it was 4:47 p.m. and there was enough time to be punctual.

Sam looked around the bus, realizing it was wise to sit down and conserve her energy for the workout she was in for. It was empty save for four or five passengers, so she took a seat next to a window. Sitting in the slowly moving bus she stared out at the window. The moving scenery passed by her eyes and every leaf left a melancholy impression in her mind. Her heart sank. To think, if Scam hadn't agreed to help them, all this would surely be gone. Minutes passed by unnoticed and passengers came and left, but still Sam was consumed in her thoughts.

The bus screeched to a slow stop and lowered for passengers to get off. Upon arriving at the Groove and seeing the smoothie stand the girls always went to before they shopped, Sam made her way when she was interrupted by a phone call. "Hello?"

"Sammie, I'm so so sooo sorry but I can't make it! Remember Aldan from math class last year? Well, I saw him near the bridge and we started talking and… well, long story short, he asked me to grab a coffee and you know I can't say no to him!" Alex pleaded, "I liked him for months last year until he started going out with Mandy, then-" Alex began to ramble and Sam began to feel very irritated at this long explanation. "he told me they broke up because she was too annoying and snoobish and stuck up- exactly like how I feel! We are so meant to be! So, yeah! Sorry, Sam, see you after school tomorrow?" There was a long awkward pause in while Sam made a worn expression.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow, Alex," she tried to say sweetly.

"Are you already at The Groove, Sammie? If you want I'll skip the coffee and meet you there in ten," Alex said sounding reluctant, hoping upon hope Sam would say she hadn't even left her room.

Sam concealed a sigh, and in her perkiest voice said, "no, I'm still in my room deciding what shoes to wear, you caught me at a good time!"

"Oh, good, I'll see you tomorrow then! Bye, Sammie. And don't worry, you'll get all the details when we meet. And Sammie thanks." With that, Alex ended the call, leaving Sam to wonder around the shops by herself. She was happy for Alex because she knew how much she liked Aldan, but, she felt weird. It felt like she was a bit empty. Only a little while ago she was laughing at the prospects of ending up living with a bunch of cats-or dogs, but now, she idled away her time thinking more seriously about it. She didn't want to be alone, as she feared she would be, she wanted to have someone special like Clover and Alex did.

While in the process of feeling sorry for herself, Sam's x-power beeped. She picked it up to reveal Jerry placid face.

"Sam, if you wouldn't mind, I have important business to discuss with you," Jerry said making Sam wonder.

"Important business," she repeated, "since when have you been one to ask before you WOOHP us, or me in, this case."

Jerry gave her a half-smile. At times he seemed more of a father figure than a mentor and boss, and this was one of them. "Since I realize you may be exhausted, Samantha. If you're busy, we can talk later," he said.

"Um, no, I'm free, just WOOHP me and I'l -" The floor beneath Sam opened and she feel through the all-familiar tunnel onto the couch in Jerry's office, alone. The fall was rough and she straightened herself up. "What's the matter, Jerry?"

"Now that Tim Scam has been captured, the next part of our plan has to be carried out. And that's why you're here."

"What do you mean? Shouldn't we wait for Clover and Alex before we discuss what to do next?"

"Well, I suppose you're right. But, Sam, this needs to be said now. For the next while, working with Tim Scam isn't going to be easy, and I want you to prepare yourself for what comes next."

"Ok… I'll relay the message to the other two. So, where's Scam now?"

"He's in WOOHP's holding facility as of now,-

"Oh, so you haven't put him in his cell."

"No, I have the feeling if we treat him like a criminal," Jerry said sarcastically with a tone of amusement, "he might not be very co-operative." Jerry chuckled making Sam smile.

"So, when do we meet him?"

"Would you like to meet him now? Getting you two acquainted—

"Wait, Jerry, stop." Sam held up her hand to get his attention. "What's going on? Why are you carrying on ahead without waiting for Clover and Alex, we should all be acquainted with Scam, together." Sam was thoroughly confused. Why was she being singled out from the three?

"Sam, I'm afraid you're not going to be too fond of what I'm about to tell you, but…"

"What is it?" Sam was worried now; Jerry's forehead was scrunched together and he sat down at his desk and with both hands propped up, he rest his hand on them and sighed deeply.

"Sam, I've spoken to Tim already. He's willing to co-operate, but we can't trust him to keep to his word, he might try something. We need someone to keep an eye on him while he works. Someone who'll be able to understand the programming and act as his assistant and make sure he isn't pulling the wool over our eyes. He refuses to work with the research and development department for the weapons lab- he doesn't want to see or have anything to do with his ex co-workers. The department hasn't trained anyone new since he's left and bringing in someone now will be too much of a hassle. It's far too difficult to train someone on Tim Scam's level." As Jerry rambled further, Sam's stomach sank. She was afraid that she already knew what he was about to say next.

"We need someone who's a quick learner and able to contribute to the development of a program to override the one he's made before. Discipline and a sharp-eye are critical when dealing with Tim Sam." Jerry stopped and got up from his chair. Turning to face the screen that covered a good chunk of the wall behind his desk, he continued. "Sam…. we need you to work as his partner."

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I have a month left of school so i will try to write some in between that time, but come summer vacations, chapters will be a plenty :)

**Reminder, REVIEW PLEASE :) **


	7. Thoughts, Vision

I simply can't say how sorry I am if you were waiting for this story a long time. I just didn't understand where it was going, but i think i have a pretty good idea now.

**Disclaimer: Totally Spies belong to Marathon Inc. **

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"Good joke, Jerry." Sam tried without success to squeeze out a few laughs, yet the reality was as apparent as Jerry's balding head and the blue sky. "How…. can you expect me to handle that…that thing be myself? I don't have it in me. And even if there was a _hint_ of a silver lining, I really don't see him agreeing." Sam was almost yelling at this point, the passion she felt drove her off the couch and leaning herself against Jerry's desk, both hands on the edge, and looking up at him intently with furrowed eyebrows.

This was going to be difficult.

There are moments like this, Sam was aware, that seemed surreal. All the falling from tall buildings, catching criminals, and saving peoples' lives, _those _surreal moments, seemed unable to prepare her for what she was facing now. It was laughable, actually, that she was more frightened of having to work with a certain someone rather than running for her life or being strapped on a conveyer belt headed for a shredding machine. But this someone wasn't just anyone, no ordinary criminal, it was Tim Scam. She despised him.

"It's a long stretch, I understand your concern, believe me I do, but I know you're capable of this Sam."

Flattery. When Jerry starts using that, it's obvious he has nothing else to resort to; no way in sight could he convince Sam other than stroking her ego. This would be the be all and end all here. But this was not a battle. In things such as those, opposing sides have equal standing and plausible arguments, well, maybe plausible, but at least they could stand their own ground, but Sam could not. Jerry wasn't asking her to be Scam's babysitter, he was telling her. She couldn't refuse, what choice did she have?

With tight lips and a pale face, Sam took in a big gulp and straightened herself up. After dusting herself of the imaginary particles that lay on her clothes, she looked Jerry straight in the face, unflinchingly. She didn't like this one bit, but this was surely an argument (if that) she was going to lose.

"Fine."

This was all she said, this was all that needed to be said. Jerry managed a tight smile at her, he knew how tough this was for her, and nodded.

"Thank you, Sam, your co-operation means a great deal to me, and if you have any complaints or difficulties don't hesitate to tell me.

It was Sam's turn to nod, but she did not smile. Instead she moved for the couch until she was stopped by Jerry.

"Hold on, Sam, this will only take a second."

Sam turned around to Jerry with a confused look. As soon as her eyebrow went slightly up, she realized why he'd stopped her. In the distant, she could hear screams quickly approaching. Oh.

"I was on a date!" Clover and Alex screamed in unison.

Clover came sliding down first, then Alex who landed on top of her.

Alex was furious. "Jerry, that was not cool!" My date is probably-

"Mmm! Aaalemp! Mett ooopphh!" Clover, who currently acted as Alex's cushion, was yelling with her face squished into the couch.

"Oh, sorry, Clover!" Alex squeaked out when she realized her suffocating friend underneath her. Moving to release her friend, she continued. "Probably sipping on coffee waiting for me. He probably thinks I stood him up!"

"JERRY! I thought this was our _day off_!" Clover rampaged in a furious puff.

"No such thing exists for a spy Clover. Danger, trouble, and espionage are your calling, you can't resist them." A small smile crossed Jerry's face but it left as quickly as it had come.

The room grew quiet. Clover, who in all cases would have screamed at the top of her lungs at the disappointment of a shortened date, found herself unable to. She looked around. The thought occurred to her, as it did to her friend that sat on her right that something had happened. The atmosphere in the room was quiet and unsettling. Jerry stood behind his desk with his back faced to all three spies, and Sam, who seemed to have stopped in her tracks at their arrival, was rooted in place. Her back, too, was facing Jerry, and they were not looking at each other with great effort. Clover could see Sam's face, it was composed, forcefully, it seemed.

In fact, only Sam knew how forceful it really was. Thoughts raced in her mind, as they seemed to have done so often nowadays. With her head titled down, and somewhat drooping shoulders, she thought to study the floor. She was currently standing on a blue square tile amidst hundreds, probably thousands. Jerry's office was quiet large now that she noticed. The floor was sort of shiny, maybe steel? Some sort of metal? The walls were dark, a grayish-blue, with a high ceiling hanging above. The doors were made of glass, probably, and did they slid or open? She couldn't be certain seeing as how she rarely used them. Although, she now realized that she'd used them only yesterday…

It was no use. She couldn't avoid things by thinking of the frightfully bland architecture of the office, she had to face Jerry and talk to him. But what could she say in her defense when the conversation was over?

The silence continued for a moment until it was broken. It seemed as though Clover was wrong about Alex, she wasn't in the know. To the contrary, where Clover was aware of the tense situation, Alex had been daydreaming about the boy she'd just left at the coffee shop. But the eerie silence finally sank in.

"Why's is everyone so quiet," Alex piped up, "this is a WOOHPing, isn't it?"

The sheer confusion in Alex's tone caught everyone one of them by surprise, especially Clover who looked at her with a wide-eyed expression. And here she was, thinking her friend had caught on like she had managed to.

Jerry was the next to speak, dragging everyone's attention towards him. "You're right, Alex, this is a WOOHPing, and we need to begin." He cleared his throat twice before turning his attention towards Sam, looking at her for an instance with serious eyes, and then towards the other two. "Samantha and I have been discussing Tim Scam's situation and our next course of action. It has been decided that she will be acting as Tim Scam's assistant and bodyguard while he develops a computer software to counter his old one." Jerry began to continue before he witnessed Clover and Alex's faces.

Sam, too, saw this pitiful scene, as she imagined it was the same one she had created a while ago. At first, the two girls' faces fell, though they didn't seemed to have processed it all. And when they had, their eyes grew wide. Alex was at a loss for words, but Clover was never short. Something was building up in her face, but Sam couldn't be sure; she couldn't identify the emotion.

"I'm sorry," Clover chuckled nervously as she held up a hand in front of her face, trying to straighten out what she was going to say. "I might just be a little winded, but I thought I heard you say something along the lines of our Sammie _babysitting _Scam. I'm wrong… aren't I, Sammie?" Clover turned towards Sam looking for an answer. There was no contradiction. "You're kidding, how can she possibly do that all by herself, Jerry?"

"Clover, I've explained this to Samantha already, but we can't have all of you around Scam. It'll be far too obvious that we are trying to keep an eye on his actions. Sam's level of intelligence in computer programming is astonishing seeing as she isn't a trained professional. I'm sure she'll be able to contribute to the project when she gets a better grasp of it. And while all that is surely pleasing, our true intention is to pass off Sam as a believable assistant while she keeps a close watch on Tim. It hasn't passed his attention, believe it or not, that Sam is gifted and a quick learner. Maybe, just maybe, he'll think that she is purely there to aid him. I don't want to take chances with him, you girls understand, don't you?" After all that he'd said, Jerry fell silent, and his eyes grew warier. But still, all this sounded far-reaching to Jerry himself; Scam would recognize Sam's presence for what it really was in an instant, and where would that leave them? Still, there was hope that Sam would be persuadable enough with her knowledge and intrigue in the project to make Scam think she was really invested in developing it.

But they had to understand the situation, they'd known the nature of this mission before it had begun and they'd promised Jerry they would try their best to co-operate with Tim Scam. When it came down to it, conditions and benefits aside, he was still helping _them._

Clover looked down at her shoes and cleared her throat. Alex gained back her speech and was about to protest at the idea but Clover held her back by putting a hand on her left shoulder. Alex look at her with surprise until she caught her expression. Her mouth closed and she became solemn.

With a composure that mimicked Sam's, she said "We understand, Jerry."

Xx

The four of them walked down the corridor from Jerry's office to the elevator in the right wing. Jerry's walk was brisk and his head held up high, as if he was preparing to enter a war in which he knew he would become the martyr.

The girls trailed behind, _their _heads held down at the thought of what was about to ensue. It was true that they had promised Jerry 100% co-operation in all the decisions he made regarding the mission, but they were regretting it now. They walked a few feet apart from each other, Clover and Alex a bit farther ahead than Sam whose feet dragged on the floor, weakened, behind them. Clover gave Alex a side glance and Alex replied in a brief nod and looked the other way. Clover turned her head slightly back to see if Sam had noticed but she had not. She could only imagine what was going through the poor girl's head at the thought of having to work with Scam without the support of her friends. In her own mind, though, Clover felt guilty. She was sympathetic of her friend's sadness, but she was glad she didn't have to fill her shoes. She personally didn't think she could handle Sam's position with as much grace and patience as she would and was glad Jerry hadn't picked her for the job. But would she take Sam's place if she could? probably not. This thought, the relief- despite how much she loved Sam, made her feel guilty. She scratched her head and signed quietly.

Alex's thoughts were a bit different. None of which occurred to Clover had even crossed her mind, instead her thoughts were a bit broken up. She was more worried about Sam's safety. Tim Scam was dangerous. A sociopath who killed for the sake of killing, regardless of whether he even held the slightest grudge for his victim, such was Tim Scam. And, of course, Sam had to have been one of his biggest enemies. He'd attempt to kill her when she had her back turned for a second. Sure, Scam would be under the watchful eye of the cameras and several guards and Sam herself, but that wouldn't stop him. It never had before. Alex was also sure that his various conditions (named and unnamed- it would be a biggie later, she was sure of this too) didn't matter more to him than exacting his revenge. The thought of killing Sam would make up for all the things promised to him.

Alex could see it now….

Sam would walk into the room one day and he'd be sitting a distance away, working on the software. The previous night, or maybe he'd been planning this for a while now, he'd somehow gotten rid of the guards (probably killed them) and shut off the cameras. Poor Sammie would go into the locker to get her lab coat or stray her attention from him for a second, and there he would be, behind her. Swiftly, like a cat, he'd have run the distance that separated them, and he'd have a knife as his weapon, or maybe his bare hands would do the trick (they often did). And he'd clasp her mouth from behind and push her to the ground aggressively. When Sammie tried to get up he'd be at her side with the knife or his hands at ready. He'd grab her friends neck strongly with his hands and strangle her until the life was sucked out. Coming out of her thoughts, Alex cringed and her face scrunched up to hold back tears, but her thoughts lingered again to a different scenario. When Scam was beside Sam who was recuperating from the push, he'd take up his knife. With an action that imitated villains of his kind on those violent cartoon shows, the knife would gleam in the light until it was brought down in half a second upon her best friend's stomach. When Sam was stricken, she let out a loud scream, 'Ahhhhhhh', until she could no longer bear the strength to do so. She would fall down flat on the floor, eyes wide, dead. As a single tear escaped her right eye, Scam would laugh his bitter and sadistic laugh. He'd touch the pool of blood flowing from Sam's stomach and cover his hands in it and bring them up to his face, colouring it in the brilliant red. Like a manic he would laugh loudly at his triumph with his hands in the air and-

Alex fell to the floor, struggling for breath. The thought of something so gruesome happening to Sam terrified her to the core and she couldn't stop shaking.

Alex's sudden fall caught all of them off guard and Sam almost bumped into her hunched over figure that sat on the ground. Jerry and Clover looked back with wide eyes.

"ALEX! Alex! What's wrong?" Clover asked as she went down next to her and saw that she was struggling.

"Alex… are you alright?" Jerry clamored when he saw her.

Sam came down behind Alex and gently ran a hand down her back, stroking it, to calm her down and even her breathing. Before her friend had had this fit she'd been occupied by her own problems. Her thoughts were different too, but less frightening and less guilty. Sam was merely worried at having to spend all that time with Scam. She hated, detested, reviled, and all those others words that seemed insufficient in describing her emotions towards Scam. The man was a psychopath and not to be trusted under any circumstance, having to deal with him every day would probably drive _her _insane. What scared her most, in the end, was that if she spent too much time with Scam, despite how much she hated him and how evil he was, he would become human to her. Sam didn't want to think about Scam being human; it was frightening because it made all the terrible things he did all the more real and possible evils in everyday humans, in herself.

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Reviews? Please?


	8. PreMission

Hey guys! I updated pretty quickly did't I? I hope you like the chapter, and I suppose I'll only know that if you review, so please, **Review! :D**

In short, **REVIEW! **

**Disclaimer: Totally Spies is a product of Marathon Inc. **(Do I actually have to say that? It's rather annoying.)

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They arrived in front of the room that held Tim Scam. They looked gravely at the door that separated him from them and Sam felt her hand clench into a fist. Yes, she had agreed, grudgingly, to work with Tim Scam by herself, but when actually facing that man what was she going to do? How was she going to work with him and keep up a civil appearance while hating him so much? It was going to be a challenge, maybe one of the biggest she's ever faced.

"Compose yourselves spies, we don't need Tim Scam to see that we're nervous. It'll only make him think he has the upper hand." Jerry coughed with his hand muffling the sound and straightened up. The girls did the same. Jerry, ahead of all of them, went to the door and turned the knob.

xx

Inside, Tim Scam was waiting. He'd been thinking about the arrangement with Jerry and his plans for the future. How could he possibly let this golden opportunity pass up without taking full advantage of it? It would be a sweet victory, he thought, and one that WOOHP would never be able to recover from. Evidently enough, having Jerry beg Tim for his assistance played right into his plans. Scam couldn't believe his good luck, although he played hard to get, the glee he felt overcame all his predictions for his future plans. This opportunity would only make things all the more easier for him.

Scam smirked to himself, the corners of his mouth tugging upwards and his brilliant white teeth gleaming in the light coming from the ceiling. The room he sat in was all white and plainly decorated- it wasn't. The walls were white, the ceiling was white, the flat floor tiles were white, the table and chairs in the room were white, and the light in the tube lights was white, or florescent to be correct, but you get the picture. Tim continued to smirk, his amusement still heavy upon him. As he looked at the large mirror that was placed in the wall, obviously a two-way mirror, Tim knew, a thought tickled him to no end. He waved to the security guards and agents that stood on the other side and they looked back at him with angry faces and disgust, but he couldn't see that, he could only guess. He wondered with a loud laugh if Jerry thought that maybe the whiteness of the room would rub off on Scam, make him a bit more pure?

"Hahahahaha!" Tim laughed, thinking maybe it was a psychological test on Jerry's side. If it was, he was surely not going to be pleased; the whiteness of the room only irritated Scam even more. He felt like tearing the room apart, hoping that when he made even the slightest dent in the "furniture" or architecture it would bleed red like blood and black like his mind.

xx

The knob tuned and the door opened. Jerry and all three spies poured in, looking at Tim Scam directly who did the same after he abandoned his smirk. It was quiet for a moment or two until Jerry cleared his throat, and with his hands held behind his back, began to speak. Tim focused his attention on him.

As Jerry spoke he moved closer to Tim Scam. "I've talked over the arrangement with the girls and it has been decided that rather than have all three of them accompany you while you develop the project, Sam will be sufficient enough on her own."

When Scam heard this, his expression changed from indifferent to annoyed. "Excuse me, Jerry, did I hear that right? The redhead is going to be my subordinate?"

Anger was building in Sam's once composed face. She hissed, "I'm going to be your assistant and partner, whether you and me like it or not, got that _Scam?" _

Scam shot her an annoyed and pointed glare. 'I really hate that one.' "Please, the grown-ups are talking," Scam said ignoring the girl who's red face made her look like a tomato, which Scam had noticed and mused in his mind, but he was still annoyed. He talked at Jerry. "I'm not working with any of them of _them, _especially not _her. _And you know what, WOOHP's quiet a big production the last time I checked, I'm sure there are more qualified people than her. Have you forgotten that you have agents besides them?"

"Sam is one of WOOHP's brightest agents and a very talented spy for her years. She was handpicked at a very young age. I can't think of someone more qualified for this role than her. She's a quick learner, as you know, and will no doubt be a helpful addition to the—

Scam held up a hand. "Cut the crap. I don't care what qualifications she has, this isn't going to work and neither am I. And please, don't think you can trick me with your pitiful wordplay and intentions, I know what you're doing, and you're not dumping her onto me." Scam was defiant and confidence oozed out of him and his mouth, ironic seeing as he was locked up-if not in the traditional sense.

"I'm not playing at anything," Jerry said with as much confidence and strength that Scam spoke with. "And this decision is not up to you, Tim. As you recall, you've signed a legal and binding contract that assures your co-operation."

"You think I'm bound to a signature on a piece of paper?" Scam chuckled to himself and continued, "And here I was, thinking that you knew me all too well. I guess time has blurred your memory, but I was never of the legal sort." Tim smiled bitterly.

But it was Jerry's turn to do the smiling. "You might not be of the legal sort, but if you don't stick to that piece of paper than the whole deal is off. You think that you're doing us a favor, but this is really a give and take situation. We need you for obvious reasons and you need us for the benefits of walking out a free man and conditions you've yet to name but that will be promised nonetheless. This arrangement is only beneficial for you, and I _know_ you're not going to give it up for something as piety as not willing to work with Sam."

Tim Scam looked at Jerry pointedly and squinted his eyes, his jaw tight. As he sat at the table Jerry walked up to a chair and sat down opposite him.

"Drop the charade," Jerry said finally.

Sam's presence was going to put a damper on Scam's plans, but, as Jerry said, he couldn't give up what was on stake. He'd have to overcome her hindrance and carry out things the way he'd seen them happening, despite an extra pair of eyes on him.

He sighed in agreement while looking away from Jerry. Jerry saw this as a signal to continue.

"We'll start the development process as quickly as possible." At this moment, Jerry started speaking to everyone in the room. "I'll be reacquainting Tim with the processes while you three can go and take a breather. We'll be starting officially tomorrow. You may be dismissed.

The three girls looked at each other a bit confused. They had expected a longer briefing on the mission, but it seemed like Jerry didn't think it was necessary for them to know anymore than what they had known since the mission had started.

The three girls moved to the door and as Clover and Alex exited, Jerry spoke up. Sam turned and the other two looked inside through the doorway.

"Wait. Sam, I'll need to see you for a minute afterwards. Please wait outside until I arrive."

"Okay." With that, Sam exited and closed the door behind her.

As the girls stood outside they spoke in hushed voices.

Clover started first. "Why are we being kept in the dark?"

"I don't understand it either, Clover, but all we can do is trust that Jerry knows what he's dealing with." Sam looked towards the door and put her ear against it to get an understanding for what was being said inside. Unfortunately, nothing could be heard.

"I think… I might be wrong though, but I feel like Sam's gonna get the short end of the stick," Alex said.

"What do you mean, Alex?" Clover asked in an intrigued voice. It was a statement that begged for more enlightenment.

"Well, I think that you and me-

"I. You and I, Alex," Sam corrected in a whisper with her ear still glued to the door.

"Thanks, mom" Alex muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" Sam retorted, moving away from the door to challenge Alex to say it again.

"Nothing, Sammie, nothing at all." Alex laughed a bit nervously, scratching her head before she returned to what she was going to say. "I think you and _I,_" she said this with heavy emphasis, looking at Sam then back at Clover to continue, "are going to be shoved aside and sent off for hair-brained missions or put to do the less-than challenging parts of the mission while poor Sammie here is stuck with Scam the entire time. You're definitely at a loss Sammie, sorry."

"It's alright, Alex, well, not really, but I'll deal somehow." Sam smiled at her friends and they all joined in a group hug. It was reassuring to know that once the software development was over, so would be her solitary time with Scam. The girls started to come out of their hug until Jerry popped through the door. Sam turned around to look at him first but instead caught a glimpse, before Jerry shut the door behind him, of Tim Scam sitting at the table with his head buried in his hands that were propped up on the surface. 'Why is he like that,' Sam thought, but soon brushed it off seeing as nothing got under Scam's skin. But he did look a little upset.

xx

Scam was upset. He began to contemplate his plans once again, and after Jerry had explained the process of everything, he seemed to rethink the chances of his success. What had been discussed between Jerry and Scam were really just the technical and conditional aspects of the project. Scam made very clear of what he wanted. He'd gotten Jerry to let him out of WOOHP and take up residence once again at his house, the manor-like building that stood secluded in the suburbs of Beverly Hills. He had owned the place while he still worked at WOOHP but had to abandon it when his life of crime began and he needed to be on the run. Ever since then, his house had been searched for any evidence of his whereabouts since the first time he escaped, and to this day surveillance cameras were hidden in all corners and guards stood surrounding the premises with security devices scaling the walls of the manor. Scam was unaware of the hidden cameras, but Jerry told him of the guards and security devices. To Jerry, the hidden cameras provided him an upper hand in surveillancing Scam when he wasn't at WOOHP. He'd keep this his little secret. Jerry had conditioned with Scam that he would not get rid of the guards but disable all the security devices instead, but Scam didn't completely believe him, with good reason, but said nothing. Letting Jerry think he had the upper hand would make it that much easier for Scam to outwit him.

His second benefit had already been discussed. After this mission was over, Scam would be allowed to walk out of WOOHP a free man, his slate wiped clean of all his past crimes. But, of course, the deal would only last if Scam didn't commit any further crime, if he did, he'd be put back in WOOHP prison.

Money, Scam didn't want that. He didn't care for such things, and to think he'd get it for _helping _WOOHP sickened him to the core. If he needed money, he'd steal it from somewhere else. There was something noble in not taking WOOHP's funds, because it would be handed over to him willingly in return for his help. It seemed like a principle Scam had, and yes, he had those to, but they were fairly different than most. The thrill in taking rather than being given was higher. That's the way he wanted to earn his money, by devising a cunning plan that challenged his intelligence and taking it from lowly idiots who didn't deserve it. Working everyday at a stupid job, using half their brains and potential, and being told to do what others wanted, even if it was from the public itself (in regard to people of the highest power), did not make people worthy of the wealth they accumulated. Scam hated these people, but then again, no one could be as perfect as him.

Scam had one more condition, one that had yet to be revealed. He kept it to himself, but reminded Jerry once more of what he'd been promised. He remembered what he had said only a little while ago.

'_Remember, Jerry, as long as it is in your power, you have to give it to me. Anything I want.'_

'_You have my word, Tim. Anything you want.' _

A smiled came across Scam's face.

xx

When Jerry popped out of the door and shut it behind him, he frowned at the girls.

"You two," he said looking at Clover and Alex, "were supposed to leave. Oh bother, it doesn't really matter." He turned towards Sam. "Sam, you'll be WOOHPed at precisely 900 hours tomorrow morning. Be ready. You'll be briefed on your part of the mission before I send you off to Tim-" Jerry stumbled over his last words and rephrased himself, "I mean, to work with Tim." Jerry had a grave and apologetic look on his face and put his hand to his head, sighing.

Sam sighed in return and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Throwing her to wolves, Jerr." Clover said, gaining her a warning glare from Alex in return. "Just saying," Clover responded by throwing her hands up in the air to her defense.

"Well, I can't say that I disagree." Alex talked to the universe around her and no one in particular. "But I had the good mind not to say it." She gave Clover a quick glance but managed a tight smile to show that she was forgiven.

"Sorry, girls, I hate to put you into this position. But I trust you to be able to handle it; you are after all WOOHP's most talented super spies." Jerry smiled at all of them, a little wary, but they smiled back at him. "Anyways, you two will be going on a mission tomorrow, a string of bank robberies in Amsterdam where the perpetrator hasn't left behind any clues except a trail of water. Odd, actually, if you think about it. Quite bizarre, but never mind that, you'll be leaving tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. after you're properly briefed. Be ready.

"What'd I tell you, hair-brained schemes," Alex said to Clover with a smile on her face. Her predictions were coming true already.

Clover smiled. "At least it's Amsterdam, right? Shopping galore."

"At least it's Amsterdam." Alex turned to leave and the other two followed.

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I think I'm finally done with having them talk about the mission, now they can actually begin it! :) Hope you guys liked it and **PLEASE **tell me what you think. I'd love more reviews to see if more than a few people are actually reading this. Reviews really do make a fanfiction author's day, and keeping this new sentiment in mind I'm going to review A LOT more of the stories I read.

So please REVIEW and tell me what you thought! :)

(Hope you guys haven't given up on me after the long hiatus this story went on!)

Yours truly,

DemonsArePersonal (I think it's obvious I'm a girl? Sure hope so :)


	9. Butting Heads

Hi... (awkward silence continues...)

Well, I think it's been almost a year since I started this story, around the time of my last march break at school here in Canada. Um... gosh, the last time I updated was somewhere in the summer I think.

If you will be so nice to read this, then I will see you at the bottom of the page where a very nice excuse awaits. :)

**Disclaimer: Totally Spies belongs to Marathon Inc.**

* * *

It was almost midnight and Sam strolled through the park on her way home. She'd left WOOHP with Clover and Alex only a little while ago but they parted ways almost immediately afterwards. Clover lived in the opposite direction and Alex was headed to a hotel where her parents were staying- they were prominent lawyers, they traveled for some very wealthy clients.

She passed by a familiar bench just outside the park. Standing in front of it for a second, she fancied herself a bit melancholic; the luminous moon against the dark veil of the night sky brought about a romantic feeling with it. She was alone, yes, but she could still enjoy the glow of the moon and wallow in her singleness. Maybe someone would pass her by in the night and look upon her illuminated face and join her on the bench. Although she doubted what kind of person she would meet at night in the park. That didn't speak much for this unknown man's character, but then again, she was in the same situation so she couldn't really be judgmental.

She smiled to herself. The day had been such a disappointment but this moment right now almost made up for it. Who cares if she was alone, she was happy in her lonesome. It felt nice to be by herself and able to think clearly. She wanted to cry for the sake of crying- the moment seemed to call for it, instead she looked ahead to the swings and shadows they produced. She squinted her eyes to see that the shadows began to change. She imagined it was because she was tired but let the shapes distort nonetheless. She saw a shadow on the swing that looked like a women. With long, wavy hair and a little flash of red- for a quick second- she thought it was a projection of herself. Behind the women was another figure. This figure was tall and the shapes allowed her to assume it was a man. He was pushing the woman on the swing, back and forth, gently. From a brief glance of him what caught in her mind was a subtle green, though not quite exactly that colour.

After a second or two, the figures were gone and the swing moved in the light breeze that ran through the park. The swings movement was almost ominous and Sam took this as a signal that she should head for home. Afraid of her mind producing more visions- Sam liked to scare herself- she broke into a run.

At her doorstep she twisted the knob quietly and walked in. When the door was closed behind her she drudged her way up to her room. It was 12:48 by now, and considering that her mother had an early shift at the office in the morning she was probably already in bed, fast asleep, so Sam could sneak into her room without worry of being caught. Her father was abroad on a business trip and she hadn't seen him in about a month- he wouldn't greet her with fury in the night either.

Sam set her alarm for 5:00 a.m. giving her ample time to get ready physically and mentally. She threw herself on the bed and dozed right off.

At 5:00 a.m. in the morning, Gabby, Sam's mother, woke up for work. Heading for the bathroom she saw it was already occupied, her daughter was up and brushing her teeth.

"Sam," she called, and Sam popped her head out of the door to look at her.

"Good morning, Mom. Did you sleep well?"

"I did, but did you? You weren't at home when I got into bed so you must have gone to sleep later I presume. You didn't think I failed to notice, did you?" Gabby cocked an eyebrow up causing Sam to smile nervously.

"You knew?"

"Nothing gets by me sweetheart and believe me, we'll be having a long talk about curfew later. Now, why are you up so early, it's the weekend you should be in bed till noon.

Sam loved her mother. Gaby wasn't strict on things like sleeping in late, and though she teased Sam about a curfew (even though she was almost 18), Sam knew she didn't mean it. "I'm going to get a head start on studying. Exams are in a month and I want to do well, I mean, I do start university next year."

"Sam, you won't be able to study so early in the morning with less than 5 hours of sleep. Go to bed and get up at 9."

"That's too late, mom." But Sam, too, thought that 5 was too early, she could probably sleep till 7 and still get ready in time. "I'll wake up at 7 then."

"Alright, as long as you're not tired."

Sam smiled towards her mother and went back to bed after resetting her alarm to 7:00 a.m. Two extra hours of sleep would do wonders, she was sure of it.

xx

It was 6:30 a.m. and Gaby was ready to head off for work. She decided to see Sam off before she left and give her a kiss. Entering her room, she saw Sam nuzzled under her blanket and smiled. Would she really be able to wake up at 7 and study, she doubted it. Gaby picked up the alarm on Sam's beside table and set it for 9:30 a.m. "Sweet dreams, Sammie," she said in a whisper. She kissed her on her forehead and left for work.

xx

In Sam's dreams she became quickly aware that what she subconsciously lived was an extension of the night. She was in the park again looking over to the shadow figures near the swings. The figures disappeared, like they had before, but reappeared a moment afterwards underneath a tree not too far away. They were more than just shadows now and Sam could make out vague outlines. Her previous assumptions were proven right and the two figures were indeed a man and a woman. Before she noticed, the sky had changed colour from the darkness of night to the pale blue hues of the early day, the sun rising in the distant. The man and women were sitting beneath the tree, the man's head in the women's lap looking up at her as she looked down. Sam tried to get a better look but things quickly changed. She was no longer looking at the pair from the distant bench; instead she was looking down at the man from the woman's body. She could see his face now but it did not register in her brain- it was there, it was a handsome face but to her conscious mind it was unknown. But in the woman's body she was no longer concerned with studying him, she moved and felt as the woman seemed to from afar a little while ago. She was filled with joy and moved her head down to kiss his awaiting lips. It was a soft kiss when they met and a hand brought her face in even closer and caressed her hair while the kiss deepened further, still retaining its gentle sweetness.

Again, everything had changed. Sam was back on the bench but the couple beneath the tree was gone. She was herself, or as much of herself as she could be in this dream, and a man came to sit beside her. It was the same man behind the swing and underneath the tree. Before sitting down, though, he stood in front of her as she looked up. His large figure covered the sun and what was produced thereof was an angelic figure, light flowing from behind, but his front form was shrouded in darkness. Trying to figure out his features proved to be a failed task, so Sam sighed and continued to look forward even as he moved and sat beside her, at last, restoring sunlight to her eyes. She wanted so badly to turn and look at him but she did not, nothing held her back but the time did not seem right. Something building inside her heart made her terrified, and told her that if she turned now, she wouldn't be able to stand the revelation.

Then, a hand took hers and held it for a long while on the bench.

He spoke. "Turn around Sam, look at me," he said. But Sam did not budge. "Please, look at me, Sam, please." But she still did not budge. The man tried one last time. He leaned in towards Sam's right ear, his lips a few millimeters away, and in a seductive voice that made the subconscious hairs on her neck stand up, he said, "Samantha, turn and _look _at me," and blew a light breeze into her ear.

His breath sent tremors down Sam's ear and resonated through her entire body. "_Unforeseen revelations be damned!" _she thought, and turned slowly to look at him. When her eyes caught sight of that colour they had seen before, she recognized the face almost immediately and then—

Sam's eyes shot open when her bed moved and did a 180 degrees flip. She was hurled down a long tunnel as realization hit her. She was being WOOHPed. "_Why the HELL am I being whooped?" _she thought_. _Before she could think of an answer she fell roughly on the velvet couch in Jerry's office.

Jerry was behind his desk checking papers. With his back facing a mangled Sam on the couch, he said, "Sam, now that you're here I can brief you and Tim."

"_Scam?" _Sam turned around in her spot and caught a glimpse of Scam who was standing in the far corner of the office with his hands folded and his head down. He wore a black, long sleeve turtle neck and black dress pants, his shoes were also black. _Being a villain must make major dents in his wardrobe and colour choice._ Sam chuckled to herself at Tim's expense and then pulled her attention back to Jerry who looked at her, appalled.

"Sam!" He screamed, which drove both Sam and Tim's attention towards him. Tim looked at Sam and smirked, he moved forward toward the couch.

"Sam, I specifically told you that we would commence at 9:00, why are you not ready? Honestly, Sam, I'm very disappointed in your lack of care for the mission."

"But Jerry-" Sam began to continue until Tim Scam spoke up, now immediately behind her and looking down at her over her shoulder. She shuddered when she noticed.

"Where _is _your professionalism, Sam?" He voice was laced with spiteful amusement. He was sure enjoying himself seeing the redhead camouflage into a ginger mess and glare in his direction.

"I don't need you to comment on my professionalism, Scam. Where was yours when you betrayed WOOHP for your own gain?" After she said this, her face returned to its normal colour and she smirked, knowing she had got him good. He looked back at her intently with pure hatred. His smile was gone and his lips were a hard line.

Sam continued to smile until he spoke again.

"At least I'm professional enough to dress for work." His mouth was upturned into a wicked smile and he knew he'd won the battle. _Only a little while now until I win the war. _

Goose bumps crept up all over Sam's body. She was at a loss for words, embarrassed beyond words. The air conditioning made her leg colds, which were bare under her flimsy, knee-length nightgown, with two buttons left undone from the top. The hairs on the back of her neck bolted up as she felt Scam's breath coming down from above her. She went back to looking at her legs while she pulled down the ends of her nightgown over them, a bit red in the face as she sat there in her summer sleeping gear, her hair unruly.

Scam, now indifferent about what had just transpired because he was no longer interested, went back to his corner. Sam released a small breath of relief.

Jerry cleared his throat. "Sam, I will WOOHP you back for 15 minutes, please be ready this time and remember, I will not tolerate this sort of behavior next time. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Jerry." As soon as the words came out her mouth she heard Scam chuckle in the background but she did not dare look or say anything to him, worried of another reprimanding by Jerry. Sam was a bit ashamed at her lack of readiness but it was overcome by the feeling of piety she felt for Jerry. This particular mission was really getting to him and putting him on edge, she realized, otherwise he was never this strict and quick to reprimand _her_.

XX

Sam was back at WOOHP after having been sent back home to quickly shower and wear proper clothing. She made a mental note to wear pajamas with pants this next time she went to sleep, just in case she was WOOHPed out of nowhere.

Jerry led Sam and Scam to a room on the seventh level of WOOHP's building. This was where the laboratories for weapons and software development were located. As they walked through the vast floor, Sam began to feel the aura of the WOOHP building change. She'd never really seen this side of WOOHP before except for a few times when she'd been there to test gadgets and visit Dean.

"_Dean" _Sam thought, smiling. Her gaze and attention shifted from Jerry and Scam and her eyes wandered to the walls near every door, searching for something she knew was somewhere close. Every door had a plate on the wall beside it that bore the name of the department head. From a conversation she'd had with Dean a few months ago, it seemed that he'd become head of the WOOHP Gadget Lab.

"Hey, Jer, how's Dean doing?" Sam asked curiously.

"It's funny you should ask about him Sam because he'll be accompanying you in the afternoon to the WOOHP archives. You can ask him then."

Hearing this confused Sam and she wondered why they'd be going there, but the profile she'd caught of Scam, who seemed to be scanning the familiar walls as Sam did before, looked indifferent and more 'in the know' than Sam was.

"Archives? Why are we going there?"

Jerry waved his hand as he continued to walk and trying to brush off the conversation for a later time, said "I'll explain when we've settled down." Sam began to pout but as soon as she had opened her mouth to say something in return, her eye caught a sign on the wall next to a door. It read, 'Weapons Development Lab' below it read the names of the department head and two technicians and engineers. 'Head- Dean Thompson- "_Wait, what?_" Sam was shocked. She'd remember Dean being in the gadget lab, but now he was head of the Weapons Lab? Since when?

This new information demanded answers. Sam ran up to Jerry's side, attracting the attention of Scam to whom she gave a quick glance, and drilled him with questions. "Jerry, why is Dean's name on Weapons Development Lab plate as head? What happened to the gadget lab? Did he get promoted or something?"

Sam was consistent with her questions and oddly passionate too, Scam thought.

"Sam," Jerry signed, "step aside so I can open the door."

"Huh?" Sam looked confused for as second until Jerry pointed to the space behind her. She was so caught up in thoughts of Dean she didn't notice they'd arrived at their destination. "Oh, sorry," she said, stepping aside with a red face, hands folded.

Jerry led the two into the vast room that astonished Sam with its equipment and style. The room held several bookcases along the wall where Sam stood with a plethora of books that held information she could only begin to appreciate with the sight of them. Opposite the entrance and with the wall on its right were glass windows that stretched from the ceiling to the floor revealing the beautiful city that lay outside WOOHP's walls, far below the floor on which they stood. There were various empty tables with computers and the odd paper and pen but nothing could distract from the large glass table that stood next to the right glass wall. It looked like a conference table because of the numerous chairs that occupied each side, but truly this area would belong solely to Scam and Sam and their task at hand. Two large laptops sat on the table with a USB beside the left computer.

Sam ran to the window opposite her, gawking at the scene below. "Wow," she said to herself in a low whisper and then knocking on the glass with her knuckles, turned to Jerry and said "I hope these are bullet proof."

"They are, Samantha," he replied with a smile. He turned towards the wall on his right and cleared his throat to call for Sam and Scam's attention, the former who had previously been making her way to the books while the latter flipped through a few himself, his eyes darting from left to right. "Over here," he said pointing to the plain wall, "is where we have the tablet." Jerry took a small control from his pocket and pressed a red button. A rectangular area from the wall came forward until it was completely detached from its original place. The rectangle piece parted in half along the centre and the two pieces slided along the surface of what was revealed to be a glass screen, and vanished behind it like snakes. The glass screen flashed blue and showed Jerry's desk in his office, the velvet couch in the background. "You can use the tablet for multiple things. It works similarly to the screen behind my desk. It can be used to communicate with me in my office or on my communicator, you remember it don't you Sam? The wallet, oh well, you know what I mean. And it can also work with the communicators you girls have. Other than a communication device, it can be used as a computer and a television, although I doubt you'll need the latter part."

"These books are useless," Scam said, interrupting Jerry in his explanation. "If this is all you have I doubt I'll have anything to rely on other than my own knowledge."

Sam smirked. "_And that doesn't account for much, does it?" _In a snide voice she remarked, "What happened to your ego, Scam? I thought only you could pass all the extensive security codes but now I hear you need books?"

Scam threw back an insult at her. "Don't meddle in things that miniscule intelligence of yours can't withhold." He added in a snide, "and for your information, _Samantha_, I created that software and prototype years ago with WOOHP technology that I've advanced far beyond, it isn't in me to remember useless knowledge from such a useless organization." An eye for an eye and then some –that was his motto.

"You two, please!" Jerry boomed, his voice frustrated, echoing off the walls and making it all the more deafening. "I know we have our differences and this adjustment is going to take time getting used to, but it is only going to last a few weeks so let us try to be civil for the sake of the mission." Jerry's voice sounded like it was almost pleading, and it made Sam uncomfortable to be in this situation with Tim Scam in the room, it made it all the more easier for him to feel superior to Jerry and Sam and revealed how desperate the former really was.

Sam smiled apologetically towards Jerry and reassured him, "I'm sorry Jerry, and I _will _try to be more cooperative." Jerry smiled back at her and folded his hands.

The room went quiet for a period of time in which Sam and Jerry turned their attention towards Scam, who didn't seem to care enough to pay attention, and was continuing to flip through books. When the quiet became all too apparent, his curiosity forced him to look up at Jerry and behind him to where Sam was standing. They were both quiet and continued to stare at him, and as he stared back at her he could tell that she was sincere in her previous statement of which he only caught the word 'cooperative.' He didn't care for her sincerity and even less did he want to return it. But he also didn't like butting heads with the ginger, the faster and smoother this could be over –the sooner he could carry out his own plan. He turned back to his book and held them in silence for a little longer. In the next moment, he spoke up in a disinterested voice, "whatever."

"Uh…" Sam was at a loss for words, she thought for sure that Scam would have some hard-hitting comeback but his 'whatever' seemed almost like an effort of his at trying to understand the situation.

"That means," Scam dragged out, the familiar smirk playing on his lips from what Sam could see of his profile, "anything to shut you up."

And there it was, he just had to return with a rude retort.

He waited for Sam to say something, but she held her frustration in and instead replied in a calm manner, baffling Scam.

"I'll try to try not to butt heads with you, Scam, but don't think I'll stay quiet and just let you pull your little punches; I have a very sharp tongue, and I'm not afraid to use it." Sam was very confident going into it, but she felt she'd just said something very embarrassing. Salvaging some dignity, she carried on weakly, "so…yeah. _Oh god, I'm pathetic." _

Scam was heavily amused. A thought came to him; he figured his time at WOOHP wouldn't be so bad as long as he had someone to torture, and Sam was easy pickings at this point. "Right…" He continued to smile evilly as he flipped through a large volume of **Intensive Weaponry: The Physics Of It All**.

After another all-too-long pause, Jerry cleared his throat and continued. He turned to Scam who paid very little attention to him, not even bothering to look up. "Hopefully, your tour of the archives and WOOHPs library will prove to be fruitful. As you know, I didn't intend it to take too long, but I'm sure you'll find something more useful in there. I'll have someone take you two on a tour, as Samantha hasn't been in that part of the building, and assist you along the way."

Sam began to talk, "Jerry, I've been-

But Scam's scoff cut her short. "I don't need any assisting, and I'd much rather her not tagging along. She's completely useless and nothing more than a burden."

Sam was red in the face. "Hey!" she yelled, but was ignored.

"Then humor me, Tim," Jerry said, forcing a tight smile at him.

"Jerry!" Now Sam was downright angry, she was already being ignored and insulted by Scam and now Jerry just slapped her in the face. But she held it all in as she was afraid of saying something stupid again. She made chocking gestures behind Scam's back- who made his way out of the door- and was caught by Jerry's cocked eyebrow. She desisted at once, until Jerry's cocked eyebrow turned into a knowing smile and low chuckle, causing her to smile in return.

As Sam and Jerry walked out the door, Scam standing in the hallway and waiting, Jerry pulled out his wallet, but not his real wallet, and began to play around with it and at once put it back into the pocket.

Arriving into the hallway with Sam, he turned towards her and Scam and said, "Dean will be your escort. He'll be waiting for you in front of the elevator down this hall," gesturing to his left, "on the 5th level. Now hop to it."

Scam walked towards the elevator but Sam hung behind. "Jerry, you know I've already been to the WOOHP archives and library, how could I be working here all this time and not have? It'll be nice to see Dean again," very nice, Sam thought, "but he doesn't need to be our guide."

"Sam, my dear, you haven't been to the restricted section of the library and archives, only top personnel are allowed down there and for that, you will need Dean."

"Wait, what? What restricted section, and why aren't I allowed to go there?"

"Well, it's the section of the library and archives I've locked off for only access by prominent figures in WOOHP, and for that, you have Tim Scam to thank, who used the information there for his own personal gain while he still worked here."

Both turned in Scam's direction, watching him as he stride towards the elevator, and looked at each other again. "Of course it's his fault, everything is his fault," she said, rolling her eyes as she was unsurprised at the fact that Scam was again the one to blame for her restricted freedom. "But, Jerry, surely you trust me, right?" Sam was a bit hesitant to hear what Jerry said next.

"Of course I trust you Sam, I trust Clover and Alex too, you're my best agents, but it would have been unfair to the other WOOHP spies who also aren't allowed access in there. But, if you are still interested in browsing the restricted texts, then I'm more than happy to take you there myself."

Sam couldn't stay too mad at Jerry for long, he was too fatherly to abuse with mental and verbal angst, but it was not for a lack of trying. "You know, Jer-

But she was cut off. Again.

"SAMANTHA!" Scam roared from within the elevator, making Jerry shoot his attention towards him, and making Sam almost jolt at the sharpness of his voice.

"Dear God," Sam let out, a hand at her chest trying to calm down her heart that seemed to skip a beat. She said a quick goodbye to Jerry and ran to the elevator, but not fast enough to make it seem like she cared at all for making him wait. As she ran, one thought also made strides in her mind: This would be a lovely excuse to strike up a conversation with Dean. The first time they met when he worked as a triple agent for Jerry against Terrance, he'd been so caught up by Clover that Sam didn't really have a chance to get to know him better. But now that Clover and Alex already had boys of their own, it seemed okay to go after Dean without potentially stealing him from her besties. They'd had so much in common-she knew that, they just needed some time together. All there other meetings had been very brief and trivial but this one could be so much more, she just had to try.

Getting into the elevator and not even registering that Scam was watching her, a toothy grin was plastered itself all over Sam's face. "_I will make it happen this time."_ She pushed the 'close' button on the elevator and stared at her shoes, not quite focused on them. Behind her, Scam rolled his eyes, seeing right through her idiotic behavior.

"_I'm going to enjoy making you suffer, _Sammie." A crooked smile played across his face as the elevator doors closed.

* * *

Apologies are in order if you have been waiting for this for far tooooooooo long. So, I am very sorry.

In my last year of high school, I've been trying to deal with university and scholarships and the sort. I'm primarily an art student, so art takes up a lot of my time, especially since an end-of-the-year school show is coming up that I have to prepare for. I write because I love to, especially Sam/Scam stories because I love reading them, and I promise to be more frequent. At the least, I promise 2 updates every month.

One or two of you have asked where the Sam/Scam relationship is, and I've got to be honest, it will take time to develop, as it should, because they start off hating each other as they habitually do. It'll take time (hopefully just a few chapters) to have their relationship grow, as my chapters are very short and there will be a lot of twists and turns that bring them together.

That is all I have to say, SO SORRY again, and please **REVIEW! REVIEWWW review REVIEW!** Be sure to tell me what you think of the story so far!

Also, a tidbit, I like Dean so he will be a recurring character. You can only guess what that means for Sam _and _Scam.

Bye for now,

DemonsArePersonal


	10. A Cruel Joke

****Hey. So I've been out, obviously, for a very long time. But recently a few people have been reading this story and it really encouraged me to pick up the pace.

So here it is.

**Disclaimer: Totally Spies belongs to Marathon Inc.**

* * *

10:30 a.m., WHOOP Headquarters, 5th floor in front of the elevators.

As the steel doors opened, Sam tried to wipe off the goofy smile that had spread across her face, but her faulty efforts left a tight, edges-upturned grin on her lips that threatened to burst back to their previous, ridiculous state.

When the doors finally opened, Sam could see Dean, leaning on the left wall while fingering his communicator. When he saw her, a charming and pearly white smile spread across his face… and her heart melted. His chestnut brown hair had grown a bit longer than she remembered, and long bangs partially covered his sky blue eyes, nonetheless, they sparkled when they met hers.

As Sam walked out of the elevator (Scam following from behind), Dean straightened up and came towards her. "Sam, it's so good to see you again," he grinned. "It must have been-"

"5 months," Sam quickly said without thinking, regretting her accurate memory. _Have I really been counting the months? Oh god… I hope he doesn't notice. _

Dean chuckled. "Yeah, I guess it has been that long. You know, I was beginning to think-

From behind Sam, Scam fixed his throat in an overtly apparent way and cut off what Dean was going to say next.

Dean's attention shifted to Scam. "Ah, you must be Tim Scam," he said, his smile now gone and his eyes as sharp as nails.

Sam had been in between the two but now inched away, giving both men a full view of the other.

Scam donned one of his half-smiles and said, "Seems like I'm quite famous."

"Infamous," Dean retorted snidely.

"Same thing," Scam answered back.

As the two stared at each other, intense eyes filled with distaste, Sam swallowed hard at a loss for words. She was used to seeing Scam act like a jerk, but she'd hardly ever seen Dean like this. He was always calm and smiling, seeing him sneer at Scam, who totally deserved it, was an uncomfortable sight. She knew she had to be the one to intervene between the two; otherwise things might take an ugly turn.

She turned towards Dean and lightly touched him on the bicep of his left arm. When both Dean and Scam looked at her, she said to Dean, "let's go?"

Dean's intense gaze softened when his eyes flickered towards her and he forced a small smile to comfort the uncertain look Sam wore. "Right." He put his hand on Sam's back and led her down the hall.

Behind, Scam's gaze followed the two. From when he first glimpsed this character he knew he absolutely abhorred him—it was an innate feeling. What agitated him even more was the audacity with which he regarded him. Yes, he couldn't care less what anyone had to say about him, but he found it very irritating when people were under the mistaken impression that they could intimidate or talk down to him. He started to walk down the hall all the while thinking of the horrible torture he would inflict on Dean when the time came—this helped to cool his anger.

xxx

Sam and Dean hung back, walking slowly as Tim Scam took the lead and perused through volumes of books up ahead.

Beside her, Dean let out a small sigh. He looked worriedly at the reading figure of Scam who leafed through a text in minutes taking in every word; at least, it looked that way to him.

Sam suppressed her own sigh. Seeing how quickly Dean had become irritated with Scam had made her realize how hopeless the situation was. This was Dean's first time meeting him, and yet she'd dealt with him for years. If he couldn't stand him for a few minutes how was she going to stand him for a few weeks? How was it ever going to be possible work with Tim Scam when she so dearly despised him?

Dean turned to her distraught. "There's no way that Tim Scam is actually here, in WOOHP, without handcuffs. Jerry can't be in his right senses; I mean, it's a joke, Sam."

"It _is_ a joke. A _very cruel_ joke."

As soon as Sam had finished her sentence, Tim Scam's voice came from ahead. "Where are my books and papers?" he asked in a loud, indifferent voice as he looked at Dean and then continued to scan a particular section of a bookcase all the way down the long bookshelf near the side wall.

Dean moved his gaze away from Scam, and fingering the spines of the books in front of him with the least bit of interest in what they looked like or whose name was on them, a long pause filled the air.

The silence irritated Tim, even more so he hated not being answered. He moved away from his search and made his way towards Dean. As he walked, he intentionally dragged his next sentence. "I _know_ they're here…." As he finished, he came face to face with Dean, standing a meter apart.

Dean's gaze moved from the books he was looking at and went for an instance to the books 3 rows below, still unfocused but trying to formulate a thought. His head turned slowly towards Scam and he said, "What makes you so sure?"

"There's no chance in hell that WOOHP would throw them away or stack them carelessly among the useless drivel that fills up the rest of these 'archives.' They use to be down there," he pointed to the place he had just been, "but I can't find them."

At this, Sam was thoroughly confused, but only for a second, until she realized that "my books" meant _his _books.

"You have research here?" Even though the words came out of her mouth, she couldn't fully accept or believe them. Although, it shouldn't have been that surprising; Tim Scam had been a previous WOOHP employee who worked in the weapons lab, he was bound to have accumulated a great deal of research on his work and theories.

"Of course I do."

"Well, WOOHP probably _did _get rid of it. Why keep the research of a sociopathic criminal who was and still is intent on creating weapons of mass destruction. Like the little 'evaporating the world's water supply' number."

Sam showed a small, snobbish smile until she'd heard what was said next.

"It's still here," Dean said quietly while looking at Sam.

She was at a loss for words, though she did try to mouth a sentence, nothing intelligible would come out.

"Can't deny genius, Sammie, not even evil genius." Scam smirked as he eyed Dean, who shot him a heated glare, making him smirk even harder.

"You were wrong, Sam, about earlier. The fact that he's right—_this_ is the cruel joke.

* * *

**This was a very short chapter, and I intended it to be a lot longer but I decided it would be good to put something up now than waiting till I'd written the average length my chapters usually are. I never intended to drop this story, and I definitely won't until I've finished it, but I realize I should post frequently to let people know I'm still writing. **

**Excuse for my absence: Hmm... can't deny the hospitalization and 2 surgeries, though I'm a lot better now, thankfully. And my will to not waste a year and start university even though it may not have been the best decision for my current "fragile" state. All these things combined have really kept me busy, but I'm almost done the fall semester and a nice, long, winter break awaits. As does getting a move on this fiction, and another one I've been thinking of (also Sam and Scam). **

**Lastly, thank you for reading this if you're still interested, which I hope you still are. If you would ever be so kind, please review. It means a ton. Honestly, a ton, like the measuring unit. **


	11. Speak to the Enemy with Confidence (1)

Hey Everyone, I'm so sorry I haven't updated in a loooong while, and I want to the thank the people who asked me to update, especially MAHI, because it did help me get out of the funk I was having with this story. FYI: This is NOT the full chapter, it's actually the first third of a long chapter that I'm still writing, the rest of which should be up in four days or so. I just wanted to release this bit to let people know I didn't give up on the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own Totally Spies, it is property of Marathon Inc-the awesome people who will be bringing us Totally Spies season 6. OMG, I CAN'T WAIT.

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"I… don't understand, Dean…" Sam couldn't believe what she was hearing, she was in utter shock. Why would WOOHP still have research provided by Tim Scam, of all people? Scam—who had tried to overthrow the organization countless times and kill all of them twice as many.

Dean had gone quiet, a little red in the face and unable to face Sam. He felt as though somehow this had been his fault, and perhaps it was, seeing as he has looked over Tim Scam's extensive research several times to help drive his own lab work and experimental prototypes. But how was he going to explain this to Sam? He'd wished that this was something Jerry had told her before, so as not to leave it upon him, Dean, to break the heavy news to her. And now, she had found out in the worst possible way. What was she thinking, he wondered. How is she going to react after this? But he didn't have long to contemplate on the matter, as Tim Scam was never one to give up the opportunity of kicking someone when they were down, and right now, Sam was at a very low point.

As Scam analyzed the redhead's face he saw that her confused expression had been taken over by a pensive thoughtfulness._ Probably trying to justify the whole thing, isn't she? Too bad, Samantha. Jerry didn't turn out to be as idealistic as you thought he was, huh? _Yet still, he could tell that something in her face hated the idea that WOOHP relied on Scam even in the remotest way. He smiled to himself, happy that Sam understood full well what that meant and he felt himself have the tiniest shred of pity for her. Not everything comes up roses, did it? Not even the self-declared righteous WOOHP and its head. "What's wrong, Sam?" he asked with a cocked eyebrow and half smirk. "Shocked that good ole' Jerry decided my research was too invaluable to give up, despite how much grief I've given WOOHP and to you and your friends?"

She shot up at him with an incredulous look, her mouth still unable to say anything concrete in defense of WOOHP's actions because she herself didn't think they were right. She turned away from Scam and Dean, the latter of which had had his eyes fixated on her, waiting to hear what she would say, but then turned to leave in the opposite direction because he was sure she didn't want to discuss anything at the moment—she still needed time to digest.

As she walked out of that particular section of archives and shelves, Scam called after her, "What's wrong Sam, cat got you sharp tongue?" but she didn't turn back to answer him or pause at what he said, she just continued on her way, away from the two men.

As she went into another section of books right ahead of the one she previously occupied, she heard Scam's voice again, this time calling to Dean to inquire about his work. "Hey kid, about my research…" To which Dean replied half-heartedly, "yeah, um, it was re-shelved some time ago… I'll have to look for it…" His weakened voice trailed off and left an ache in Sam's chest. He, too, was at a loss.

She leaned against the shelves of archives, the weight of the heavy oak wood and its contents able to easily withstand the weight she exerted upon them. Her mind drifted to her talk with Jerry before coming to the archives and she began to wonder if Jerry was lying about the reasons why she wasn't allowed full access to the archives' restricted area. Was it really a matter of being fair to everyone, or did he want to keep certain contents a secret from WOOHP's spies, especially her, who would begin to doubt his principles.

No, she thought, this isn't right, she couldn't possibly believe that Jerry was anything but the wholly good mentor she knew him to be. It wasn't fair to condemn him for a tiny little shortcoming, especially when he hadn't been given the chance to justify his actions.

She was brought out her thoughts, then, when she heard footsteps coming down the long section of archives. She turned to see Dean, who had caught her eye, give her a tight, apologizing smile. She couldn't help but return it seeing as he wasn't the one to blame for her state. She would talk to Jerry about this, soon.

As the distance between them grew several meters, she'd caught sight of Scam, who came after him in a search for his prized research. "Sam!" he roared, though out of earshot from Dean. "There you are! Honestly, I expected you to have run off to a corner somewhere crying, but I guess not." He laughed, "always the brave trooper, aren't you?"

She turned her head to look at Dean, but he was too far gone to defend her crumbled state. She realized, then, that Scam wasn't someone she could ever make the mistake of showing weakness to and confidently declared, "You've heard the saying, haven't you?" she said, walking towards him. "You must have," she paused beside him on her way out, "He who laughs last laughs the hardest."

"Are you suggesting I should store my energy 'til the end when you I've reduced everything to ashes?"

"Is that a threat?" She tried to keep her cool, seeing as every word that came out her mouth struggled to break free from her earlier, staggered speech. "Because, to me, it sounds like you have no intention of keeping a clean slate."

He looked outraged. "I wouldn't dream of doing anything, Samantha. After this is all over, I plan on being a straight-laced office worker. You know, the type that folds his socks?"

She smirked with hateful eyes. "I actually hope you do commit a crime after all this, even if it's just petty theft, because then, we'll have all the reason we need to throw you back in your old, cold cell."

Returning to his amused self, he smirked down to her. "You're just waiting then?"

"So are you, I'm sure."

"For what?" he asked innocently.

"You know what. Revenge."

With that, she moved to leave until he caught her off guard by grasping her shoulder tightly, nearly throwing her off balance, and leaning in towards her ear, bringing his voice to a low growl. "You'll be the first to go, sweetheart." Finally being able to nudge out of his grasp, Sam left with a mix of anger and terror on her face and a violent murmur in her chest. She knew he meant what he said. She also knew she couldn't tell anyone.

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Well, I can't say that that was a "on-the-edge-of-your-seat" chapter but I'm going to blame that on the fact that this is only the beginning of the full chapter.

But, as always, please do **COMMENT AND REVIEW! **I would really like to know if people are enjoying the story thus far or could tell me the problems they're having with it.

Also, I've been spending my fanfic writing time on another TS Sam/Scam story, which should also be up in a few days.

Anyways, bye for now,

DemonsArePersonal


	12. Speak to the Enemy with Confidence (2)

Hi

First, I'm going to apologize for not posting part 2 sooner. It took me much longer than expected to write this chapter because I kind of had to plan out where things were going :P In any case, thank you to the people who reviewed and sent me messages, I really hope you continue reading this fic of mine.

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PART (II)

10:45 a.m. Jerry's office.

She stormed into Jerry's office, causing him to shoot his head up from his computer. "Sam, what a pleasan—

"Why is Scam's research still in WOOHP's classified archives?" she yelled, though after a moment she refrained. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be screaming at you Jerry, I apologize, but why? Why do you still value his work so much that you would keep it after all that he's done to the organization, to us, to you—

"Sam, you don't understand." Jerry frowned and walked around to the front of his desk, gesturing for her to sit down on the red velvet couch. "Sam, perhaps I failed to mention this earlier but… the software for Scam's old project was not the only thing stolen, so were his prototypes for the missiles. Every inch of his home and WOOHP and all possible areas have been searched without success. You must understand that when Scam was terminated, I was wary of the possible dangers that would arise if his work had fallen into the wrong hands, and now it has. Fortunately, his research was the only thing that wasn't stolen _because _it was locked away in WOOHP's heavily secured archives—something that cannot be said for the actual software and prototypes themselves."

She listened tentatively, and all the anger that had boiled up in her simmered down.

"His research is very valuable, Sam, it could possibly be the only way Tim Scam can recover his previous work… without it, we might have been at a total loss."

"Jerry, I'm…. so sorry. I jumped to conclusions without thinking…"

"It's quite alright; if I were you I might have been a little indignant myself." He smiled. "While you're here, I might as well inform you that Clover and Alex have been sent to Provence. One of our sources has tipped us off that the LAMOS's main headquarters might be in the Solliès-Pont area; they've gone there to make sure and gather any information they can."

Sam smirked, "I can only imagine how miserable they must be going there."

"Of course, they'll be awfully annoyed at having to experience the lovely weather, living in the historical midst of van Gogh, Gauguin, and Picasso, dining on Bouillabaisse… I'm sure they'll hate it."

"You say it like they're going on a vacation."

"Don't you girls always find the time to relax during missions?"

"Uh, not really…but enough about Provence, I'm getting jealous by the second!"

"Samantha," he laughed heartily, "I'll send all three of you anywhere in the world after this mission is completed successfully."

"Yeah, well, that's seeming impossible by the second too."

"What do you mean, is something wrong? Is it Tim?"

"What? No… Well, yes, but only because it's Scam," she lied. "I can't say a word to him without wanting to strangle him."

"Promise me you'll restrain yourself until after the mission."

She laughed, "No promises."

They both laughed.

"Well, I should probably get back to Scam…it's not very smart to leave him alone for so long.."

"That's quite true, though you shouldn't be too worried about him, Sam. I'm keeping an eye on him and keeping him under control," Jerry said.

"Under control, that—that beast? I find that a bit hard to believe," Sam said.

"I have my methods, Sam," Jerry said with a sly smile. She smiled a bit nervously at Jerry, wanting to be let in on the secret. But when Jerry seemed unwilling to tell her and went back to his work, she took leave of him and left.

But she didn't know where Scam was. Last she had seen him, when he threatened her, he was still in the archives with Dean, but it had been half an hour since then. Was he still there?

Sam returned to the archives section of WOOHP and found a security guard outside the door, which was weird because the archives barely needed them with all the tech security installed into the building, and seeing as Scam was already in the restricted section, who else would try to break in?

The security guard saw Sam approaching and straightened up. They knew each other and often exchanged hellos and brief causalities when they crossed paths. "Samantha."

"Hi Jeremy. Uh, why are you..?"

"Oh, I was sent here by Dean. I'm supposed to inform you that Tim Scam has left the archives and returned to the seventh floor."

"Oh, well, thanks. It was hardly necessary to wait for me to say that. Dean should have just contacted me on my communicator." Sam felt a bit uneasy about having information from Dean mediated through someone else. Was he trying to avoid talking to her?

"Yes, that might have made more sense. But no worries, it was a nice excuse to see your lovely face, Samantha," he said smiling.

She grinned widely. "You say that to every girl in the building, Jeremy. I've actually heard you recite Sonnet 18 to Clover."

He laughed while adjusting his tie. "Well, in my defense, she didn't know what I was talking about."

Sam laughed. "No, she doesn't really read Shakespeare. You're lucky her boyfriend isn't in this branch."

"Does that mean I have a shot?"

"Hardly, he's a keeper."

Sam jokingly punched Jeremy in the arm and he took of his shaded glasses to wipe off a tear from all the laughing he'd done. He had beautiful blue eyes, Jeremy did. And he was quite tall too with a husky physique that suited him perfectly.

"Well, I better catch up with Scam. I get a bit nervous thinking he's alone in the building."

"He's not completely alone, Sam. Jerry has guards watching him."

"Right, I'd forgotten." Sam looked downed and forced a tight-lipped smile. "_Does having a couple of guards ensure that he won't try to kill me? Or carry out whatever plan he's concocting to take over WOOHP or burn it to the ground and _then _kill me and all my friends?" _

"Sam," Jeremy said affectionately, putting a large hand on her shoulder. "If you have any problems with that maniac, you call me, okay?"

"Yeah, thanks Jeremy," she said with a nod. She left slowly, trying to collect herself and her energy. She didn't know what she was going to do when she saw Scam.

xx

_"He can't hurt you Sam, not right now. Now, he needs WOOHP just as much as we need him," _she told herself. Sam was on the seventh floor now, in front of the door that separated her from Tim Scam. She sighed and then slowly turned the handle.

As she walked in, her eyes briefly searching for Tim Scam, she noticed a total of five guards interspersed throughout the vast room. The one closest to her caught her eye. "Uh…?"

"Ma'am, we've been told to monitor Timothy Scam's behavior by Jerry," he said.

"Oh, right. Um, well, I'm here now so I guess you can leave."

"Ma'am, we've received no such orders from Jerry. We cannot leave."

Scam screamed from the other end of the room, sitting at one of the long conference tables near the glass walls and making her head shoot towards him, "Samantha Simpson! Make these assholes leave and I'll let you watch me work!" His voice was loud and irritated. Supposedly, he hated guards watching him more than he hated her watching him, but perhaps that was because they had guns on them and she didn't?

Sam watched him for a brief moment and held his eyes. Even at her distance she noticed how deep the annoyance played on his face. She turned on her communicator and in a few seconds saw Jerry. He looked tired. "Jerry, these guards have to go," she said, loud enough for Scam to hear her. "He's already throwing a hissy fit." Quietly she whispered, "And I'm not too glad to have them here either."

"Sam, I know I've thrown you into this situation but I'm not all too sure about leaving you alone with him," Jerry said.

"I know, but, I think he might be a bit more co-operative if the guards left. I can take care of him myself. Plus we have the security cameras so if anything happens, you'll know." She hoped she sounded convincing. What really made her nervous was the fact that if Scam said anything remotely threatening to her, the guard positioned behind him would most definitely hear him and inform Jerry, who might be inclined to worry about her safety more than the plan and scrap it all together. She didn't want Jerry's worrying about her to jeopardize the plan. And Scam, his bargain with WOOHP probably didn't matter that much to him anyway. If he was put back in his cell he would just break out again and think about bringing WOOHP down and killing them some other way; he most probably didn't need this alliance as much as they did and therefore would be willing to break it.

"But Sam—

She sighed. "Jerry, please don't make me have to bargain with you in front of this creep…"

Jerry sighed. "Alright Sam, I'll get rid of the guards. Be careful."

"Thanks, I will." She closed her communicator and behind her, the guard closest to the door talked into his Bluetooth. He motioned to the other four and all five black-suited men filed out of the room.

"Thanks, Red!" Scam yelled as the men were almost gone. "I was really close to offing the one behind me!" From afar he noticed the last guard, the one who had been positioned behind him, flinch. He smirked and got back to his laptop.

Sam walked towards him and as she neared she noticed that very briefly, his eyes drifted from his screen to her, not looking at her but noticing her arrival, and went back to his work. From the way he was dressed and the way he was so calmly positioned in a chair at the table she thought he seemed almost normal. Wearing black pants and a dark grey turtle neck sweater with the arms bunched up to his elbows, he looked sophisticated and devastatingly handsome. But at the thought, she mentally berated herself, "_Oh my god, Sam! He has tried to kill you more than five times and plans on doing it again! Get your head on straight!"_ Very cautiously, she sat next down to him.

"I didn't know you could say thanks," she said to him, no hint of sarcasm in her voice. But he did not answer and continued to type away on his laptop. The silence went unbroken and she sighed inwardly. As she looked on to the screen Sam was surprised that she couldn't figure out what was happening. "_What's he doing? I can barely understand any of it". _

"If I really did kill that guard then the deal would have been off," Scam said without looking away.

"You don't really care about the deal, do you Scam?" she said in all seriousness, turning towards him and scooting back when she realized how close in proximity she was to him, their legs only a few centimeters away.

A crooked smile spread across his face and he turned to stare at the redhead. After a moment he said, "You don't know, Samantha, I might actually care."

She almost let out a laugh, that's how much she believed him, but instead she returned his smile with a smirk of her own. "Oh please, you don't fool me, Scam. We've known each other for a few years now and we both know that you can get whatever you want on your own."

"Perhaps it's something only Jerry can give." He paused. A thought came to him and his smile only grew larger. "Or perhaps this has nothing to do with what I want but what I can do, huh Samantha?"

Sam clenched the side of the table while glowering at him. He saw this and chuckled.

"You're scared, aren't you, about earlier?" That struck a chord as Sam tensed even further and glowered at him. "Well, no sense in worrying about that at the moment, sweetheart, that'll come later. First, we take care of this," he said, turning back to his laptop and resuming his work.

That word, 'sweetheart,' really bore into her skin and made her shiver. He'd already used it before to scare her, in that sick-sweet voice that made goose bumps run rampant from the back of her neck down to her spine. _He's not even trying to cover up after himself! He's very clearly stating that he's going to try to kill me! Cool down, Sam. He's right, this really isn't the time to be worrying about that and why should I anyways? He's tried before and failed, and when he does again I _will _be ready for him. _She squeezed her eyes shut and gave herself a small nod before attempting to not blow her lid and lash out at Scam. Now_ really _wasn't the time.

She noticed that there were a few books and thick folders on Scam's left-hand side. Those folders were probably _his _research. "So, what's your plan, Scam?"

"Excuse me?" he said turning his head towards her.

"Your plan. Jerry said you were going to create a program to override your original one and I want to make sense of it."

"And why would you need to make sense of it? We both know you're here to babysit me for Jerry, so shut up and just watch."

"Yeah, no. I'm going to make sure you hold up on your end of the bargain and don't double cross us. So, if you be so kind," she said condescendingly, "get me acquainted with your program."

Scam smirked and in an annoyed, deep voice said, "More and more do you tarnish the reputation of being the smart angel."

"Yeah, I don't get that reference, so…"

"Ugh, never mind. Here," he said, pushing the laptop towards her.

"Uh, thanks. Wow, you're being surprisingly co-operative. I imagined more-more assholishness?"

"Haha," he sneered. "The fact is I don't have the patience and tenacity to deal with a child such as yourself, and if I'm not in the midst of strangling you, I have no particular fondness or interest in dealing with you. And as for my assholishness, as you say—great vocabulary by the way— I'm not in the mood to argue with you." In an almost aggressive fashion, he got out of his chair and walked away from Sam, towards the middle of the large room, and sat on one of the large tables and hugged his legs.

_"Since when has he been so broody and irritable? You can almost always count on him and his sarcasm," _Sam thought to herself, but shrugged off the thought and went about looking over the content of his work on the laptop and his thick research files on the table.

_"I can't deal with this right now,"_ Tim thought tiredly, as he pushed his forehead into his knees in an effort to relieve the severe throbbing headache he'd been suffering from since yesterday morning. The contract had been signed and he returned to his old home. He knew Jerry hadn't been completely loyal and had cameras installed in the entire place, but the extent to which he searched his house and found not a single blind spot dampened his plans. He'd have to be a lot more creative in making sure Jerry didn't find out what he was doing.

"That's great, really, Scam," Sam said after a long while, almost absentmindedly, with a forced smile to highlight her displeasure at him though she looked down at the laptop screen and not at him directly. Scam turned his head towards her, interrupted in his thoughts. By this point he'd completely stretched out on the table and lay with his back flat against the cold surface. "That just means we can do the most minimal amount of actually talking to each other."

Scam screwed up his face in response, a bit confused by her late response, then rolled over on his side, his back facing her with his left hand bent under his head acting as a pillow. He really hadn't been able to sleep last night and he couldn't quite understand why. Was it the headache? No, couldn't be that—he'd suffered through worse conditions when he was constantly on the run from WOOHP. In any case, he thought lying down for a bit would make him feel a bit better.

Sam continued to look through Scam's files and the data on the laptop. Luckily, she'd gotten the gist of what Scam was doing. She'd gathered that he hacked into his old program and scanned it through to see if any modifications had been made. Because he'd designed his program to control the launching and direction of missiles, all he had to do was create a virus that would effectively and completely corrupt its configuration. Unfortunately, Sam noticed through Scam's work that his program had been modified drastically and analyzing all these changes and writing codes to counteract them would take a while. The Brain's handiwork was so expansive that creating an effective virus could prove difficult for even Scam. The more and more Sam began to understand of the endeavor the greater it dawned upon her that she couldn't do here what Tim Scam could and that WOOHP really did desperately need him. He'd "accessed" his old program (now in the possession of the LAMOS and The Brain) by hacking into Boogie Gus's computer. That guy was such an idiot and so horrible with technology that it surprised Sam that the LAMOS trusted him to be in charge of something as valuable to their plan as Scam's old software. Though, Sam guessed, Scam was probably in charge of the I.T. before he left the LAMOS, so there was that. Except, were the they really so stupid that they would leave Boogie Gus in charge of something so important when they had The Brain on their side, the man who'd previously programmed G.L.A.D.I.S. to be evil?

Sam's thoughts began to wonder about this when her gaze lifted up and she noticed Scam lying down a short distance away; her mind began to drift. He was a few tables away, but not too far ahead that she couldn't notice the even rise and fall of his form. Was he possibly asleep? Without knowing it, Sam began to trace the silhouette of his body with her eyes. She slowly took in every detail of him, of his back. His dark brown hair was neat and short; she traced his partially hidden neck to wide shoulders and the back of his torso. He'd bent his left arm in such a way that his shoulder blades and muscles had contorted and became so much more apparent than they normally were under his dark grey turtle neck. As Sam looked closer, she'd noticed the contour of his entire back as it pressed against the fabric that stretched over it. She continued to linger over his muscles and bones until she came to gaze upon his waist. _"I wonder if he finds the time to work out and weight lift when he's on the run…" _she thought, until she quickly came to her senses before she went on any further. _"God, Sammie! Ew, think about who you're thinking about! _She shook her head to straighten herself out, yet her eyes went back to him.

She slowly got up from her chair, careful not to make a single sound lest Tim Scam wake up and find her drawing near, otherwise she wasn't sure what he would do. She asked herself, _"Sam, what do you think you're doing?"_ Still, she didn't stop—as though she were in a trance. Like Sleeping Beauty possessed and obediently drawing close to the spindle, Sam moved languidly and quietly between the tables that separated her from him, up and down their rows, until she stopped at the table where he laid, his back still facing her. She slightly shifted her weight and hovered above him for a few moments, surprised that he hadn't noticed her yet. He was usually so quick and attentive. _"Tim Scam, if I didn't know you better, I'd think you were genuinely relaxing. But you couldn't be, could you?"_ Wanting to confirm the possibility of this, she walked around the table while keeping a continuous eye on his form to see if he moved. But he didn't. When she came to finally face him, his body at the height of her waist, she peered down. Red locks fell on either side of her face and she brushed them behind her ears. But she couldn't quite see his face, so with a smooth motion, ever so carefully, she bent down onto her knees and stared up at him. The expression he wore was peaceful and bereft of any anger or hate. Was this, perhaps, how he must have looked before? When he worked at WOOHP, was good, and so cherished, was this how Timothy Scam must have appeared? In wonderment of his tranquility, Sam thought, _"Tim Scam, how can you be so vulnerable? So at peace? In this place you so deeply hate, how can you be at ease? _But even in her trance she was aware of what she was doing. _"I have to stop, I have to…" _

Slightly, his lips tightened. Warning bells went off in her head and she worried that he hadn't actually been sleeping. Sam quickly got to her feet and began to walk away when her communicator went off. _"Shit." _If he wasn't awake before, he was now.

Scam's eyes shot open and Sam rushed to answer the beeping as casually as possible. Jerry's projection appeared and in a painfully nervous and un-casual voice she said, "Hey, bossman! What's up?" Her face contorted trying to keep her cool.

"Er, I need you and Tim Scam to come down to my office immediately; it's about Clover and Alex."

"What about them? Are they okay?!" she asked a bit panicked.

"No, they're fine. Just get down here ASAP."

Jerry's face disappeared from the communicator and Sam fumbled a bit to leave, wanting to avoid Tim Scam altogether because she knew he was awake and didn't need to be relayed the message. As she turned to leave a hand caught her dead in her tracks. She looked at his still lying figure, propped up by his left arm and holding on to her with the right. His face was angry and his eyes were clouded with suspicion.

"What were you doing so close to me?" He spoke in a deep and serious voice, his tone threatening and making her hair stand on end. What was she going to say to him?

"Let go, Scam," she said, struggling to free her wrist from his strong grip.

"What were you doing, Samantha?" With every word his voice got louder and more menacing. His hand was pulling her to him and bore into her skin. She struggled to keep her feet firm on the ground but she felt herself being slowly dragged towards him.

"Nothing! I wasn't doing anything!" she said a bit more loudly, a bit more confidently, but still being drawn to him further and further. "Jerry he-he called earlier so I was just coming to get you, that's all!"

Sam faced was composed but his voice bellowed like thunder. "You're lying, Samantha!"

"I am not! Let go, Scam!" she screamed while finally breaking out of his grip. When she was free she dashed out of the room, heading towards Jerry's office. She'd never been so terrified of Tim Scam in her life, but now, having been so close to him and seeing his composed anger made her weak in the knees. "I can't—I can't do this anymore," she said to herself while she ran.

Back in the conference room, Tim Scam sat at the edge of the table looking after the door through which Sam had escaped. He rested his head on right hand which rested on his knee, wondering what had just happened. What had Samantha been doing? He knew she was lying before, he knew there was some other reason she had been so close to him. She had done something, but what? Scam inspected his surroundings and himself, but found nothing odd about him. If her communicator hadn't gone off she wouldn't have been caught because he knew he'd fallen into a deep sleep. Finally, he got up from the table and made his way to Jerry's office. _"I'm going to find out what you were doing, Sam. Even if I have to drag the truth out of you."_

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**_PLEASE REVIEW! :D_**


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